Shaun Rogers' new deal with Giants comes with a caveat

Shaun Rogers will face a hefty pay cut if he goes on IR again next season. (US Presswire)

Shortly after working himself into shape by shedding more than 50 pounds last offseason, New York Giants defensive tackle Shaun Rogers suffered a setback when a blood clot in his left calf forced him onto IR in training camp.

The Giants have added a clause into Rogers' one-year contract to save the team cap space if the 350-pound lineman is unable to make it through the 2013 season. Rogers' one-year, $1.005 million contract, will be slashed to $433,000 if he's placed on IR, the Newark Star-Ledger reported.

The release of former defensive tackle Chris Canty on Wednesday has left the Giants with a dearth of experience along its interior defensive line. Linval Joseph, Marvin Austin and Markus Kuhn, the three other defensive tackles under contract for 2013, have a combined six years of NFL experience.

At Rogers' peak, the three-time Pro Bowler was one of the league's top run stuffers. In 2008, Rogers' final Pro Bowl season, he had 76 tackles and 4.5 sacks with the Browns. But since 2009 Rogers has 75 tackles and 4 sacks in four seasons combined. Rogers will turn 34 in March.

After signing with the Giants last April, Rogers impressed coach Tom Coughlin with his work ethic in losing the excessive weight. Coughlin described Rogers' injury as “a shame” after the lineman asked the coaching staff for added reps in a preseason game vs. the Jaguars.

“He was really excited to be a part of this team, he got along really well with our defensive linemen,” Coughlin said last August.

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