The New York Giants have several difficult decisions they have to make this offseason. One of them is whether or not to bring back their 28-year-old defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul.
After Jason Pierre-Paul signed a one-year $10 million contract with the New Yorks Giants last offseason to show he can still be an efficient player following his Fourth of July fireworks accident, he exceeded expectations.In 12 games, he had 53 tackles, seven sacks and was even named NFC Defensive Player of the Week following the Giants 27-13 week 12 win over the Browns.
In that contest, he recorded seven tackles, three sacks and scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2esB6gwVrSM
Unfortunately, he suffered sports hernia in Week 13 against the Pittsburgh Steelers and was out for the remainder of the season. This injury makes the Giants decision to bring him back even tougher.
Yes, he has proved that he can still be one of the top defensive ends in the league but he’s has a history of being injured. Over the last four seasons, JPP has only played a full 16 games once.
Then there’s also an issue of money. Pierre-Paul already made it known that he will not sign another one year deal, and he’s going to want more than 10 million per year.
After all, like he said, he’s the best 7 ½ finger player in the NFL. He may not request the $15.750 million that Olivier Vernon is going to make next season, but he’s probably seeking three years and $13 million annually as a minimum.
The question is: will that price be too much for the Giant to pay for a player nearing the end of his prime?
After going on a spending spree last offseason, the Giants have to be more cautious with the money they spend. After all, they have to improve the offensive line and will have to reach a new deal with Odell Beckham Jr. following the 2018 season.
The answer on whether or not the Giants keep Pierre-Paul could come down to if they think Romero Okwara could step in and take his place.
Okwara had a dominant game against the Cowboys when he had eight tackles and a sack, but after that his production tailed off. Okwara may have a promising future but he’s not as talented as Pierre-Paul.
If the Giants decide to let Pierre-Paul walk, they could look to replace him in the draft and take Michigan’s defensive end Taco Charlton, but there’s no guarantee that he’ll be there when the Giants draft at 23 or that he’ll be as productive as Pierre-Paul has been.
Free agency begins on March 9, so the Giants have about six weeks to make a decision. Whatever the decision the Giants come to, it will have a major impact on their 2017 season.
