Bethea announced his retirement via his official Twitter account Thursday.

EDGE Analysis

After going the entire 2020 season without latching on with a new team, Bethea has now officially decided to wrap up his 14-year career. A sixth-round pick of the Colts back in the 2006 NFL Draft, Bethea earned three Pro Bowl nods while playing in Indianapolis, San Francisco, Arizona and New York over the course of his impressive career. He started the Colts' Super Bowl XLI win over the Bears.

The Giants will release Bethea on Wednesday, Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York reports.

EDGE Analysis

The move clears up just $2.75 million in cap space, so it's a pretty clear indication the Giants don't view Bethea as a plus starter at this point. The 35-year-old has maintained IDP relevance late into his career, reaching triple-digit tackles in 2016, 2018 and 2019. That said, there's no guarantee Bethea finds another starting job elsewhere.

Bethea recorded 110 tackles (81 solo), six defended passes and one interception across 16 contests in 2019. He also forced two fumbles.

EDGE Analysis

Bethea played a career-high 1,132 snaps on defense as the Giants' starting free safety in 2019, and he served as a usable IDP asset in favorable matchups. The 35-year-old is set to enter the final year of his contract in 2020, though cutting him would only result in $125,000 in dead money for New York.

Bethea totaled six tackles and one pass breakup during Sunday's victory over the Redskins.

EDGE Analysis

The Giants allowed Dwayne Haskins to complete his first 10 passes of the day before Bethea forced an incompletion on a pass intended for Terry McLaurin. While he's no longer a standout contributor in real life, Bethea has at least hit double-digit tackles three times in 2019 and he should again see as many playing time as he can handle in Sunday's season finale against the Eagles.

Bethea made five solo tackles and broke up a pass in Sunday's win over the Dolphins.

EDGE Analysis

Bethea has made five or fewer tackles in four of his past five games, with a 13-tackle outlier in Week 15. All five of the 25-year-old's pass breakups on the season have come in his last eight games, however, including one each of the last two weeks.

Bethea recorded nine tackles (seven solo), one pass defensed, one interception and a fumble recovery in Monday's 37-18 loss to the Cowboys.

EDGE Analysis

Bethea had a hand in two separate turnovers Monday, including a heads-up interception on the first play from scrimmage as the Giants were eventually able to take an early 3-0 lead as a result. Bethea has also recovered a fumble in consecutive weeks heading into a favorable matchup against the 1-7 Jets.

Bethea notched nine tackles (five solo) and one defended pass during Sunday's loss to the Cardinals.

EDGE Analysis

Bethea is operating as an every-down starter in New York's secondary. The veteran safety has accumulated 55 tackles across seven contests, and he's on pace to eclipse the century mark for tackles for a second straight season.

Bethea made 11 tackles (nine solo) in Sunday's 28-10 loss to the Vikings.

EDGE Analysis

Bethea played every defensive snap (71) for the third straight week, and he now has 23 stops in that span. The veteran linebacker doesn't offer much in the pass-rushing category, but he's on track for another season of 100-plus tackles. That provides a serviceable floor for IDP purposes.

Bethea continued his hot start to the 2019 season, finishing Sunday's 32-21 win over Tampa Bay with a team-high nine tackles (seven solo).

EDGE Analysis

The veteran defensive back has been a tackling machine in the early stages of the season, but a lack of interceptions has hurt Bethea's value in IDP formats over the years. The veteran last intercepted a pass in 2017. While his tackle numbers do give him undeniable fantasy value, shortcomings in other key areas make Bethea a risky fantasy option most weeks.

Bethea made 10 tackles (five solo) in Sunday's 28-14 loss to Buffalo

EDGE Analysis

Bethea moved his season tackle total to 17 with the effort Sunday, as he played 75 of 76 defensive snaps in the game. If the 35-year-old can continue to rack up tackles, he's proven to be worthy of IDP consideration throughout his career, and will face a great matchup against struggling Jameis Winston for Week 3.