2:02pm: Pierre-Paul is in New York for his physical, and while his hand is wrapped for protection, he has no broken bones, per Rapoport and Albert Breer (all Twitter links). The Giants plan to have Tom Coughlin, John Mara, and Jerry Reese meet with JPP when he’s ready.
Rapoport and Breer also note that Pierre-Paul and the Giants will likely rework his contract before he signs, since the team will want to reduce his salary and JPP will want to avoid being placed on the NFI list.
8:37am: Jason Pierre-Paul is set to fly in to reunite with the Giants today, and an all-important physical examination is on the schedule for the veteran defensive end, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
Pierre-Paul is still recovering from a hand injury that he sustained on the July 4th weekend in a fireworks accident. JPP, who lost a finger in the mishap, has yet to report to the Giants, so the team is unsure about how the pass rusher’s rehab has progressed. That makes today’s physical an important stepping stone for franchise-tag recipient, as he looks to get back on the field.
For now, Pierre-Paul also technically remains a free agent, having not signed his franchise tender from the Giants. Not signing that one-year deal gave the 26-year-old leeway to miss training camp and the preseason without being fined, and allows him to avoid being placed on New York’s non-football injury list for the first six weeks. When a team places a player on the NFI list, it can also elect to not pay him.
Of course, JPP also won’t get paid as long as he’s not under contract, but if he doesn’t sign his deal before the season gets underway, he’ll only forfeit salary a week at a time, rather than risking losing a six-week chunk at once.
The Giants’ defense has been somewhat banged up so far this summer, particularly in the secondary, so if Pierre-Paul is close to being able to return to the field and get some pressure on opposing passers, it would be a significant boon for that unit.
If JPP’s “technically” a free agent can he technically sign with any team he wants
He’s sort of a restricted free agent under the franchise tag. So he could sign an offer sheet with any team still. But that team would have to give up two first-round picks to get him, which no team will be willing to do.