The New York Giants have decided to franchise tag star defensive linemen, Jason Pierre-Paul. Pierre-Paul will be paid a total of $14.813 million. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is credited with breaking the story first.
This news ends the prolonged discussion on Pierre-Paul’s long-term future, at least for the moment. In the coming days, possibly even hours, we will surely find out if the Giants did in fact attempt to sign him to a long-term contract. Pierre-Paul and the Giants will be faced with the same situation next year. At some point contract negotiations must resume. It is quite possible that we will be having this same conversation next offseason.
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The defense is a main priority for the Giants this offseason. In 2014 the defense ranked 31st in total defense. With so many pressing needs on the defensive unit, the Giants could not afford to lose their best defensive player.
This gives the Giants the ability to focus on other things heading into free agency and the NFL Draft. They will retain their best defensive player for at least one more season. Pierre-Paul had 12.5 sacks in the 2014 season. He was the Giants first round draft pick in 2010. He has had a very productive career, with 42 sacks in 5 years.
The Giants head into free agency looking to address many needs on the defense. The offensive line may also be an area of concern for the Giants to address in free agency. The Giants could also be looking at running backs considering the lack of production from their ground attack. The Giants are a teams with many needs, they took care of one of their biggest 2015 needs by bringing back Pierre-Paul for at least one more season.
The Giants could not let Pierre-Paul hit the open market because they know how valuable he is to this team. The franchise tag is not a long-term solution but rather a Band-Aid that will cover the problem until this time next year. Come to GMENHQ for everything you need to know about the Giants this offseason.