O'Brien Schofield motivated by Giants' rescinded offer

Before re-signing with the Seattle Seahawks last season, O'Brien Schofield nearly became a New York Giant.

The 28-year-old linebacker was in line to receive the biggest payday of his career after agreeing to a two-year, $8-million contract with the Giants. The deal never materialized, though, as the offer was rescinded after arthritis was discovered in Schofield's left knee.

Instead of sulking, Schofield used the snub as a source of motivation.

"I almost got the biggest payday for me, which was exciting because that's what you work for: To provide for your family and set yourself up for life. I felt that would have been my opportunity to do so with the Giants, but unfortunately it didn't work out that way," Schofield told Vaughn McClure of ESPN.

"After that happened, I kind of just went into a shell from a standpoint of just focusing on other things. I didn't have my focus on football so much because it was genuinely stressful thinking about how I was putting out this good film and still having to prove myself."

Now, Schofield finds himself in another prove-it situation after signing a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons, reuniting him with former Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. Schofield played several different roles in Seattle, and is capable of doing the same with the Falcons.

"How long have I been versatile? Ever since I've had to provide for my family," Schofield said. "That's the truth. I played defensive end in college (Wisconsin). When I got to the league, they were like, 'You've got to learn how to play linebacker." That was a 3-4 system. Then I got to Seattle and you've got be able to play strong linebacker in a 4-3. So I'm like, 'Oh, OK.' I got to the point where my mindset was whatever I had to do, I had to do.

"Going into my sixth year, I'll now have four different defensive coordinators. I definitely have some football knowledge."