Will Beatty signed a huge free agent deal.
Credit: Getty Images
The Giants spent much of the last few weeks debating which players to cut. They did the opposite yesterday afternoon.
New York used that freed up money to re-sign left tackle Will Beatty to a five-year, $38 million deal. It reportedly includes $19 million guaranteed.
“It’s good to be home,” Beatty said in a statement. “It’s a great feeling. You could be going through free agency, but when that happens a lot of stuff is going through your mind. That feeling is no longer there. You’re settled in with a great team, a team I love playing for. I know the coaching staff. I’m looking forward to getting back in it and moving forward.”
Beatty, 28, was a second-round pick out of the University of Connecticut in 2009. He was expected to be the heir apparent at left tackle, but was a little slow in getting there. He played in all 16 games as a rookie, starting four of them at right tackle in place of the injured Kareem McKenzie.
But over the next two seasons he started just 12 games and played in only 18 as he dealt with injuries. He had a foot injury in 2010 and then a detached retina in 2011 cut short a promising season in which he’d taken over as starter at left tackle.
Fans started to worry when Beatty skipped essentially all of fall camp dealing with a nagging back injury. But that worry was all for naught, as Beatty was a break-out star in 2012. He started 15 games at left tackle and developed into one of the best in the league.
“We are very pleased to get a new deal done with Will,” general manager Jerry Reese said in a statement. “We believe he is one of the ascending left tackles in the NFL.”
The Giants had cut veterans Michael Boley, Chris Canty and Ahmad Bradshaw earlier this month in order to free up space under the salary cap.
Follow Metro New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports.
