New York Giants: Reasons To Love Jason Pierre-Paul Re-Signing

5. Avoiding Unnecessary Drama

Had the New York Giants failed to agree to a long-term deal, drama was all but certain to surface during the 2017 season. This isn’t to say that Jason Pierre-Paul is a problematic player, but franchise tagging him created an uncompromising situation.

For those who missed it, Pierre-Paul said in January that he wouldn’t play on another one-year deal. Per Jordan Raanan of ESPN’s NFL Nation:

"“I’m not playing on no one-year deal,” Pierre-Paul said after he missed the Giants’ postseason-ending playoff loss to the Packers following his sports hernia surgery. “I’ve proved it. I’ve showed it. There is not really another guy like me out here doing it with 7½ fingers still.”"

In other words: had Pierre-Paul not been signed to a long-term deal, there would have been issues.

It’s probable that Pierre-Paul would have held out during training camp had he not been signed to a long-term deal. That would have disrupted team chemistry and potentially alienated his teammates from the organization.

Rather than letting it get that far, the Giants nipped it in the bud and eliminated all possibilities of a holdout.

It’s possible that the Giants gave Pierre-Paul too much guaranteed money or too many years on his contract. Whether or not that’s true, New York was backed into a corner and had just one rational decision to make after it franchise tagged the former South Florida Bulls star.

If nothing else works out with the Giants’ decision to sign Pierre-Paul, avoiding unnecessary drama is all but certain to help.