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Giants, Jon Beason talking about contract restructuring

New York Giants linebacker Jon Beason, who serves as his own agent, was on SiriusXM radio Wednesday morning and said he and the Giants are discussing ways to restructure his contract so he can return to the team in 2015. I wasn't listening, but NJ.com's Jordan Raanan was, and this is what Beason apparently said:

"We've been back and forth trying to come to terms and they're doing the best they can to try and be fair under the situation," Beason said during an interview on 'The Opening Drive' with Giants play-by-play announcer Bob Papa and Ravens wide receiver (and former Panthers teammate) Steve Smith. "As a so-called agent, I'm trying to do the best I can to make sure that I get the opportunity to earn some of that money back."

Here's the deal with Beason's contract. He's scheduled to earn a $3.6-million salary this year, of which $900,000 is fully guaranteed. He's due a $1 million roster bonus on March 15 and a total of $1.2 million in per-game roster bonuses throughout the year, as well as a $100,000 workout bonus. So if he played all 16 games (something he hasn't done since 2010), he'd make $5.9 million this year. His salary-cap number for 2015 is $6.692 million.

That's too high for a guy who basically didn't play in 2014 and has played a total of 24 games in the past four seasons. Factor in a 2016 season in which Beason is scheduled to earn another $2.8 million in salary and $2.3 million in bonuses, and you can see why the Giants need to redo this deal. The best way to do it is to take the salary down as far as they can and convert a portion of the rest into incentives that Beason could reasonably meet if he stayed healthy. It sounds as though Beason understands this and is on board with the plan, which indicates something can be worked out.

If not, the Giants could cut Beason -- a move that would save them $2.858 million against this year's cap and maybe more, depending on whether the $900,000 guarantee offsets if he signs elsewhere -- and start Jameel McClain at middle linebacker in 2015. McClain filled in for Beason last year and was adequate, though the Giants did think they missed something without Beason's leadership and physical presence. If the Giants work something out with Beason, McClain and his $2.5 million salary could be on the chopping block. They'd save $3.1 million by releasing McClain.