Giants, JPP Far Apart In Contract Talks
The Giants have been working to re-sign franchise-tagged defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, but the two sides are “nowhere near a deal,’’ agent Doug Hendrickson told Paul Schwartz of the New York Post on Monday. As a result, the Giants had to tag Pierre-Paul to keep him from hitting the open market March 9, and Schwartz expects the decision to “infuriate” the seven-year veteran.
While Pierre-Paul will rake in $16.955MM via the tag in 2017 if he and the Giants don’t agree to a long-term deal by the July deadline, he likely expected to end up with a similar annual value on a multiyear contract in free agency. Pierre-Paul would’ve been one of the most accomplished defenders available, having tallied 50 sacks and 11 forced fumbles to this stage, and proven pass rushers command premium prices on the open market. Exhibit A: The five-year, $85.5MM deal featuring $52MM in guarantees that the Giants handed Olivier Vernon a year ago.
Even though Pierre-Paul, 28, is both two years older and far less durable than Vernon, he had been targeting a similar payday as of late January. When asked Monday if that’s still the case, Hendrickson said, “I don’t want to get into that.” He also lamented the fact that Pierre-Paul won’t get to measure his worth in free agency.
“He’s earned the right to see what’s out there,” opined Hendrickson.
Four Teams Interested In OT Russell Okung
A number of clubs have already expressed interest in pending free agent tackle Russell Okung, including the Giants, Jets, Chargers, and Vikings, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Top 2017 Free Agents By Position — Offense]
The Broncos last week declined a $1MM option bonus that would have locked in an additional four years, $48MM, and $20.5MM in guarantees for Okung. Okung notably negotiated his Denver contract without the assistance of an agent, and the deal — which contained no guaranteed money at the outset — was widely panned. It’s unclear if Okung plans to broker his next pact by himself or enlist some sort of representation.
Okung, whom PFR rated as the third-best offensive tackle available on the open market, isn’t an elite blindside protector, but he’s a capable option that would represent an upgrade for the teams listed by La Canfora. The Jets and Vikings essentially have no left tackle at the moment, and the internal options they could respectively re-sign (Ben Ijalana, Matt Kalil) are unimpressive. The Giants, meanwhile, are trying to improve upon third-year pro Ereck Flowers, while the Chargers want to find a better left tackle than King Dunlap.
Although he turned in his first career 16-game season, Okung graded as just the No. 38 tackle in the NFL last year, according to Pro Football Focus. Okung, 29, drew a dreadful 55.0 score for his pass blocking, though his 79.7 run blocking grade was the 21st best showing in the league in 2016.
Giants To Franchise Tag Jason Pierre-Paul
The Giants will apply the non-exclusive franchise tag to Jason Pierre-Paul, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter). Unless the two sides work out a new deal between now and July, JPP will play out 2017 on a one-year, $16.955MM contract. The transaction was not formally processed before the end of business on Monday, but the Giants have informed him of their decision. 
[RELATED: Former Giants OL Geoff Schwartz Announces Retirement]
The G-Men will work “aggressively” to lock Pierre-Paul up beyond 2017, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. The Giants have about $31.5MM in cap space before factoring in the tag and they can preserve a good chunk of that by smoothing out JPP’s cap hit on a multi-year deal. Ideally, the Giants would like to retain their defensive core, which means brand new deals for JPP and defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins.
Had JPP reached the open market, he would have stood as one of the best free agent edge defenders in this year’s class. Now that he and Jones have been franchise tagged and Melvin Ingram probably isn’t far behind, Packers standout Nick Perry probably has to be considered the best of the bunch. Perry, 27 in April, will be heavily targeted by 3-4 teams looking to boost their pass rush.
Giants Re-Up Zak DeOssie
- The Giants signed long snapper Zak DeOssie to a new two-year contract, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). DeOssie, 32, has been a Giant since they selected him in the fourth round of the 2007 draft.
NFL Grants Compensatory Picks To Teams
The NFL announced that they have awarded a total of 32 compensatory picks to 16 different teams. Compensatory draft picks are given to clubs who lose more or better compensatory free agents (CFAs) than it acquires in the previous year. Those picks are slotted within the third through seventh rounds based on the value of the free agents lost.
The Collective Bargaining Agreement stipulates that there are no more than 32 compensatory picks granted each year. Due to that wrinkle, the Rams (one pick), Packers (one pick), Steelers (two picks), and Cardinals (three picks) will not receive those picks in accordance with the formula. Each of those four clubs will receive compensatory selections for other CFAs lost whose final numerical values ranked within the top 32.
This year, there is one notable change to the compensatory draft selection rules: teams can now trade those picks.
Click below for the full rundown:
Raanan: Johnathan Hankins' Value
The Giants are trying to bring back every key member of their excellent defense, and while that would include retaining Johnathan Hankins, re-signing the 325-pound defensive tackle is easier said than done, as Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com writes. Hankins managed three sacks and 10 quarterback hits from the defensive interior, and given that he’s still only 24 years old, Hankins figures to break the bank in free agency. After speaking to a panel that includes executives and agents, Raanan pegs Hankins’ value at five years, $43MM, with $18MM in guarantees.
OL Geoff Schwartz Announces Retirement
Longtime NFL offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz announced his retirement today, writing on SB Nation today that he’s decided to hang up his cleats.
Schwartz, 30, spent last summer on the Lions’ offseason roster after signing a one-year, minimum salary benefit deal with Detroit. Expected to serve as a reserve at several positions along the line, Schwartz was waived at the end of August. As he writes in his retirement piece, Schwartz fully expected to land another contract after parting ways with the Lions, but after weeks passed with no contact from interested clubs, Schwartz realized his career was likely over.
Nevertheless, Schwartz’s seven-year NFL run can’t be considered anything other than a success, especially given that Schwartz entered the league as seventh-round pick and suffered a devastating hip injury soon after becoming an established starter. After bouncing around with the Panthers and Vikings, Schwartz played his best ball with the Chiefs in 2013, grading as one of the best guards in the NFL.
After parlaying his seven-game starter stint in Kansas City into a four-year deal with the Giants, Schwartz dealt with injury once again, managing to play in only 13 games over two seasons thanks to ankle, toe, and leg issues. Having struggled to stay on the field, Schwartz was released by New York last February.
Schwartz has already begun his post-NFL career in media: not only does he pen excellent pieces at SB Nation, but he’s co-authored a book with his brother, Chiefs offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz. For offensive line junkies, Schwartz’s Twitter account is a must-follow, as is his podcast.
Giants Attempting To Retain Defensive Core
Defensive lineman Jason Pierre-Paul and Johnathan Hankins are both scheduled to become unrestricted free agents on March 9, but “word on the street” is the Giants will make a run at re-signing both players, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com.
[RELATED: Giants Will Not Re-Sign Larry Donnell]
New York’s interest in retaining Pierre-Paul has been relayed before, and isn’t surprising given that he graded as the league’s No. 13 edge defender according to Pro Football Focus, helping propel Big Blue to a second-place finish in defensive DVOA. However, as one of the better pass rushers available, JPP won’t be without suitors should he reach the open market, which is why the Giants could consider extending him the franchise tag before free agency begins.
The franchise tender for defensive ends is expected to come in near $17MM, so a tag for Pierre-Paul would eat up a decent chunk of New York’s ~$31.5MM in cap space. But given that JPP has indicated he won’t accept another one-year deal (after being forced to sign for a single season last March), the franchise tag gives the Giants another option to keep Pierre-Paul around, especially when the alternative is handing him an offer comparable with Olivier Vernon.
Hankins, meanwhile, doesn’t have the track record of a Pierre-Paul, but at age-24, he’s one of the youngest players set to hit the open market, a fact which will certainly entice clubs. Playing next to Damon Harrison in New York’s base 4-3 defense, Hankins managed 816 defensive snaps, 10th-most among tackles, but graded as just the No. 72 interior player among 127 qualifiers, per PFF. A franchise tag for Hankins — unlikely as it is — would cost roughly $13.5MM.
The Giants spent the fourth-most cap space on defensive linemen in 2016, and if Pierre-Paul and Hankins are re-signed, may dart to the top of that particular ranking in 2017.
Giants Have Expressed No Interest In Adrian Peterson
We learned yesterday that at least a few GMs are concerned about how much Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has left and whether or not he’d be willing to accept a contract commensurate with a running back on the downside of his career. The Giants are one team that Peterson has indicated he would like to play for if he does not remain in Minnesota, but as Paul Schwartz of the New York Post writes, Big Blue has expressed no interest in acquiring the former league MVP (although the Giants have not indicated that they are uninterested either, Peterson just does not appear to fit from a schematic standpoint). Of course, the more teams that drop out of the Peterson race, or decline to enter the race at all, the more likely it is that he will stay with the Vikings on a lesser salary.
Giants Notes: Peterson, WR Market
Running back Adrian Peterson reportedly has interest in joining the Giants if he’s released by the Vikings this offseason, and last night the veteran back sent out a cryptic tweet that will only add fuel to the Big Blue fire. “The Giants been making some interesting moves,” tweeted Peterson, presumably referring to New York’s release of running back Rashad Jennings and wide receiver Victor Cruz. The Giants might be interested in Peterson if he comes at an affordable price, as Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com writes, but the 31-year-old doesn’t appear to be a scheme fit. Peterson averages roughly 1.2 fewer yards per carry out of the shotgun, and New York uses the shotgun formation on two-thirds of its offensive snaps, as Evan Silva and Raymond Summerlin of Rotoworld tweet.
- Now that the Giants have released Cruz, the club could be on the lookout for a wide receiver in free agency, as Ralph Vacchiano of SNY writes. While New York is unlikely to target expensive options such as Alshon Jeffery or Terrelle Pryor, the Rams’ Kenny Britt or the Ravens’ Kamar Aiken could make sense next to Odell Beckham Jr. Earlier this year, PFR’s Connor Byrne tossed out Brandon LaFell (Bengals), Terrance Williams (Cowboys), and Justin Hunter (Bills) as pass-catchers who could be on the Giants’ radar.