Free-agent linebacker Chase Blackburn agreed to return to the New York Giants on a one-year contract, The Star-Ledger reported Friday, citing a knowledgeable source.
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Blackburn played for the Giants from 2005 to 2010 but was not brought back by the team before the 2011 season. With no football team to play for, he nearly became a high school math teacher in Ohio.
However, after a 49-24 loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 12, the Giants asked Blackburn to return, and he went on to help the team go 3-2 in its final five games.
He also came through in the playoffs, collecting 26 tackles en route to the Giants' victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI. Blackburn put an exclamation point on his comeback by intercepting a pass in the title game.
Blackburn is the second linebacker locked up by the Giants this week; the team also traded a fifth-round draft pick to the Cincinnati Bengals for veteran Keith Rivers.
