New York Giants Football: Ranking Dave Gettleman’s top 10 moves

7. Trading Jason Pierre-Paul 

Following the 2017 season, Dave Gettleman made the decision to trade defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with a fourth round pick for Tampa’s third round and fourth round picks in the 2018 draft.

Pierre-Paul was coming off of a disappointing season following him signing a huge four-year $62 million deal with the Giants in 2017. The move was primarily made because Pierre-Paul did not fit the 3-4 defensive scheme employed by the Giants, but it allowed Big Blue to accumulate draft capital and rid themselves of a hefty contract.

The Giants would go on to select B.J. Hill with the third round pick and Kyle Lauletta with the fourth round picks they received from the Buccaneers. While Lauletta would be cut prior to the 2019 season, Hill remains an integral part of the defensive line for the Giants, having accumulated 100 tackles and five and a half sacks in his first two seasons.

In addition to adding young, cheap talent in Hill, more importantly, the Giants were able to shed $17.5 million in cap space by trading Pierre-Paul. While he has been able to record 14 sacks since coming over from the Giants, he has also missed a number of games this season after suffering a neck injury in a car accident in the preseason. Given the production that the Giants have received from Hill and the amount of cap savings they were able to achieve by moving Pierre-Paul, this move has to be considered a major win for Dave Gettleman.