Beason retires; Giants waive Beatty, Schwartz
The Giants said linebacker Jon Beason retired and linemen Will Beatty and Geoff Schwartz have been released.
The New York Giants have started to restructure their roster for their first season under coach Ben McAdoo.
The team announced Wednesday that linebacker Jon Beason has retired and that offensive l i nemen Will Beatty and Geoff Schwartz have been released.
All three players finished the season on injured reserve, with Beatty missing the entire season.
Tom Coughlin stepped down as the Giants on Jan. 4 after the Giants (6-10) missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. McAdoo, the offensive coordinator the past two seasons, was chosen to succeed Coughlin the following week.
A former f irst- round draft choice and a three- time Pro Bowler, Beason played 93 regular- season games (90 starts) i n nine seasons. His career t otals i ncluded 829 t ackles, 10 interceptions and four sacks.
He was acquired by the Giants in a trade with Carolina in 2013 and played in nine games over the past two seasons.
“I always tried to give my all and be competitive,” said Beason, who was bothered by foot, toe and knee i njuries over the past two seasons. “I wanted to go out and continue to play at a high level, giving my all. I was able to do that.”
Beason played his f irst six seasons- plus for t he Carolina Panthers, starting 65 consecutive games, and was a Pro Bowler in three consecutive seasons (2008-10) before injuries began to take their toll.
“I couldn’t have scripted a better story, coming in as a firstround pick and starting in my first NFL game and setting the club high in tackles, and then breaking it every other year that I played, the Pro Bowls, the AllPro’s, pinching myself, getting
the big contract based on what I had already done; being rewarded for all that was a great feeling,” Beason said.
Beatty joined the Giants as a second-round draft choice in 2009. From his rookie season through 2014, he played in 82 regular- season games with 63 starts, eventually becoming the left tackle.
He tore a pectoral muscle during an offseason workout on May 19, under went surger y, and
was placed on the reserve/physically unable to perform list. Beatty returned to practice in October, but tore a rotator cuff, and again had surgery.
Schwartz, a sevenyear veteran, joined the Giants as a free agent prior to the 2014 season and played in 13 games in two seasons.
He started the first 10 games at right guard before moving to left guard at Washington on Nov. 29. Early in the game, he suffered a fractured leg and was placed on injured reserve for the second year in a row.