Reese Makes It Clear -- Jon Beason's Future With Giants Is Unclear

New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese did not exactly give veteran middle linebacker Jon Beason a ringing endorsement Saturday.

Asked if Beason would be the team's middle linebacker in 2015, Reese said only "Jon's under contract. So we'll see where that goes."

Translation -- stay tuned.

Beason played only four games in 2014 due to a foot injury he suffered during OTAs. Beason played well for the Giants in 2013 after being acquired in a midseason trade with the Carolina Panthers. The 30-year-old, though, is a shell of the player who made the Pro Bowl with the Panthers in 2008, 2009 and 2010. He played only one game in 2011, four in 2012 and four last season, only coming close to a full season in 2013 when he played 15 games.

Beason signed a three-year, $17 million contract before last season and will count $6.691 million against the cap in 2015. That is a huge number for a player who has been unable to stay on the field and, while important when he does play, is clearly not the athlete he once was.

It seems unlikely that the Giants would cut Beason. While Jameel McClain filled in at middle linebacker last season, he isn't a natural middle linebacker -- there isn't another one on the roster. The Giants could look to the 2015 NFL Draft, where players like Eric Kendricks and Denzel Perryman might be on the radar. Linebackers, incidentally, go through on-field workouts at the NFL Scouting Combine Sunday. They could also look to free agency, but there are only a handful of capable 4-3 middle linebackers heading to the market, like Mason Foster of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Rolando McClain of the Dallas Cowboys.

Most likely, Beason could be in line for a pay cut. Beason is due a $1 million roster bonus if he is still a Giant on March 15. Almost certainly, we will know something by that time.