New York Giants To Place Franchise Tag On Jason Pierre-Paul
If the New York Giants can’t sign Jason Pierre-Paul to a long-term deal by Wednesday, Jerry Reese will place the franchise tag on the star defensive end.
No burden is resting quite as heavily on Jerry Reese’s shoulders than the question of whether or not he should re-sign Jason Pierre-Paul. Reese has expressed interest in bringing Pierre-Paul back, but the New York Giants only have so much money to work with.
On Monday, Feb. 27, the public received a fair indication of what the Giants are going to do about Pierre-Paul and his pending free agency.
Pierre-Paul has been a featured member of the Giants organization in every season since he was drafted in 2010. He’s amassed 50.0 sacks during his pro career and remains one of the Top 15 edge defenders in the NFL.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Giants will place the franchise tag on Pierre-Paul if the two sides fail to come to terms on a long-term contract.
Giants expected to use franchise tag on Jason Pierre-Paul by Wednesday if two sides cannot reach long-term deal by then, per league sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 27, 2017
New York and Pierre-Paul have until 4 p.m. ET on July 15 to sign a long-term deal, or else he’ll have to sign the franchise tender.
It’s important to note that Pierre-Paul explicitly stated: “I’m not playing on no one-year deal.” Thus, if the two sides are unable to come to terms on a long-term contract, the 2017 season could get ugly before it even begins.
Fortunately, Pierre-Paul and the Giants will have upwards of four months to work out a new agreement.
One could argue that Pierre-Paul established himself as deserving of a new deal this past season.
Pierre-Paul finished the 2016 season with 53 tackles, 7.0 sacks, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery in 12 games played. He ranked No. 13 amongst edge defenders on Pro Football Focus, including a Top 10 ranking in the pass rush.
At 28 years of age, however, the question pertains to whether or not the Giants should give Pierre-Paul a long-term contract.
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For better or worse, the New York Giants are primed and ready to keep Jason Pierre-Paul—even if that means having him on the one-year deal he doesn’t want to sign.