Will New York Giants And Jason Pierre-Paul Ever Agree On A Contract?
By Curt Macysyn
In order to keep Jason Pierre-Paul in the fold, the New York Giants designated him with the franchise tag.
In typical Jerry Reese fashion, the team tendered Pierre-Paul with the non-exclusive tag. That means, he can still sign as a free agent with another team. If the Giants do not match an offer, that team is required to compensate New York with two first-round draft picks. This would perhaps makes sense for the Cleveland Browns.
At this point, Over The Cap projects the Giants to have $14.1 million in salary cap space as free agency opens. That likely means the team has room for one major free agent signing (I’m looking at you, Andrew Whitworth).
The reason for this is the almost $17 million price tag for JPP in 2017.
In one respect, I don’t blame Pierre-Paul for wanting a long-term contract, especially if that was the agreement made with Reese last year. On the other hand, the franchise tag seems to overpay JPP this season.
Seth Walder of the New York Daily News compiled a great summary of defensive end contracts on Mar. 3, 2017. He used quarterback sacks as a measuring stick, which would seem to be a fair analysis for a defensive end. But his analysis did not take into account age or existing contracts, which he acknowledges.
"“But despite those faults this statistical method’s conclusion of a fair market value lying between $13 and $14 million for Pierre-Paul seems reasonable,” Walder writes."
Prospects For A Long-Term Deal
If everything stays the same, the G-Men will fork over between $3 – $4 million more than they should for JPP’s services. This contract disconnect starts in its very foundation.
The reality for Pierre-Paul is that the franchise tag does not undervalue him. The reality for the Giants is that designating JPP with the franchise tag creates an unnecessary salary cap crunch. No one is privy to the negotiations, but they seem fairly cut and dried. In fact, if the difference over the life of the contract is more than the $3 – $4 million I mentioned earlier, I’d be very surprised.
Looking from the outside, I’d start with three-years and $40 million, with a potential of four-years and up to $54 million. The only reason I’m working with these number is because the current situation created by the Giants. First, we have the $17 million franchise tag of JPP, as well as the Giants’ own $17 million per year contract with Olivier Vernon.
Be careful of what you wish for…
Absent a long-term deal, overall it seems like the franchise tag is a lose-lose situation for the team.
In a salary vacuum, I’m hard pressed to believe JPP is worth more than Michael Bennett ($10 million per year, per Spotrac) though. Have you heard the term “hometown discount”? Well, the Giants are paying, and may continue to pay, JPP a “hometown premium”.
New York Giants Salary Cap
Another problem New York faces is that these continued contract decisions are creating an unsustainable environment.
Big Blue basically has three types of players under contract: high-end, undervalued young stars and everyone else. And what happens when undervalued young stars like Odell Beckham Jr., Weston Richburg and Landon Collins want to get paid?
In my review of the roster via Spotrac, I only see Eli Manning ($19.7 million) and Justin Pugh ($8.8 million) as having market value contracts.
Is J.T. Thomas worth $4 million per season? Can Dwayne Harris be worth $3.8 million per season?
It’s no coincidence that these two players were brought in as free agents by general manager Jerry Reese.
When faced with a similar dynamic as the Giants – JPP franchise tag, the Carolina Panthers decided to cut bait with Josh Norman last season. Yes, the team regressed, but chances are they fall back into the playoff mix this season.
Teams like Carolina understand that you have to commit to players when it makes sense. Because of the hard cap, teams have to make tough decisions as well.
Overall, unless I am misreading the tea leaves, the handling of the salary cap, free agency and draft has only set Big Blue up for a run of mediocrity, not championships over the next few years.
One step in the right direction will be for the team to fish or cut bait with Jason Pierre-Paul. Even if the G-Men settle up with Pierre-Paul, the deal will likely be better for him than it will for the team.