Headlines

New York Giants News & Rumors

Extra Points: JPP, Luck, Bucs, Cardinals

By | at July 13, 2015 9:29 pm

At some point, the Giants and Jason Pierre-Paul are going to have to talk money, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com writes. The Giants want JPP in camp learning the new defense, so Graziano figures that the most likely outcome is that the two sides negotiate to a lower franchise figure and he signs it in exchange for a written promise from the team to pay him the entire amount. Under that scenario, the Giants could theoretically have Pierre-Paul in camp and help administer his rehab and Pierre-Paul would not have to worry about rushing back to the field in order to get paid. Here’s more from around the NFL..

  • Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com gave his thoughts on at how an extension might look for Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. Luck could be looking at a five-year, ~$125MM pact in exchange for tearing up his currently contracted 2016 season (~$16.15MM), but Seifert suggests he could instead push the Colts to give him a $100MM deal with $90MM fully guaranteed. Such a deal wouldn’t just benefit Luck, it would allow the Colts to spend more on the roster around their star quarterback.
  • Buccaneers cornerback C.J. Wilson, who lost two fingers in a fireworks accident, was released from a hospital on Friday, and he is doing well and is “in very good spirits,” sources tell ESPN’s Adam Caplan. Wilson is in the final season of his two-year deal that carries a non-guaranteed base salary of $585K for the 2015 season. Wilson, not to be confused with the defensive tackle who goes by the same name, hadn’t been expected to play a major role for Tampa Bay in 2015, but he did appear in two games for the team at the end of last season, logging some snaps on both defense and special teams. Now, his chances of seeing the field at all this season are up in the air.
  • Cardinals safety Rashad Johnson says that he has long planned to be a coach when his playing career is through, as Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com writes. Somewhat surprisingly, Johnson doesn’t dream of being a head coach, but instead wants to be a defensive coordinator. “It’s something that makes me who I am,” Johnson said. “It makes me that special player that’s vital even if he’s not a Patrick Peterson-type of athlete. Vital because he can help the defense as a whole because he knows the plays. He can help everyone play faster.” Johnson, who is entering the final year of his deal, has been mentioned as an extension candidate this summer.
0 comments Arizona Cardinals Indianapolis Colts New York Giants Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Franchise Tag Updates: Houston, WRs, JPP

By | at July 13, 2015 2:48 pm

Of the five recipients of franchise tags around the NFL this year, only Stephen Gostkowski immediately signed his one-year tender. He’ll have until Wednesday to negotiate a longer-term deal with the Patriots, but the focus this week is on the other four franchised players, who are still technically free agents, albeit not unrestricted ones. With the July 15 deadline for a multiyear contract looming, let’s check in on those four stars….

  • Negotiations between Justin Houston and the Chiefs are expected to resume on Tuesday, one day before the deadline, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio suggests that guaranteed money will be the major factor in those talks, with Houston likely seeking a sizable signing bonus.
  • Houston may have the best chance of the four unsigned franchise players to actually land a long-term extension this week, writes Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Per La Canfora, the two sides have made “significant progress” since they first started negotiating, and Kansas City would like to avoid having to franchise the star pass rusher two years in a row. La Canfora expects it to cost at least $15MM per year for the Chiefs to get something done.
  • Within the same piece, La Canfora addresses Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas, noting that the two wideouts are stuck in similar situations. Although a deal for either player could be reached if one decides to settle for something in the range of $13-14MM annually, the Cowboys and Broncos are both in a good position to wait until after the season to get something done, if need be. We passed along more extensive updates on both Bryant and Thomas earlier today.
  • The fourth unsigned franchise player, Jason Pierre-Paul, has virtually no chance of getting a multiyear contract this week, as we’ve heard repeatedly since his July 4th fireworks accident. However, Jordan Raanan of NJ.com suggests that if JPP is able to contribute to the Giants this season and land a decent contract elsewhere in 2016, he could eventually net New York a draft pick.
0 comments Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos Kansas City Chiefs New York Giants Newsstand

Offseason In Review: New York Giants

By | at July 13, 2015 1:30 pm

The most notable Giants offseason story is still developing, as Jason Pierre-Paul‘s status is fluid after the All-Pro end underwent a finger amputation stemming from the now-infamous fireworks mishap. The Giants did make many notable moves before the final link to their legendary Super Bowl-winning defensive end corps put his season in jeopardy. However, this incident overshadows them, considering Big Blue didn’t bring in or lose a high-profile player in free agency in its quest to rebound from a 6-10 mark — its worst finish since 2004.

Notable signings:

When Rashad Jennings was healthy, he was clearly the Giants’ best runner last season. But overall, the team struggled on the ground, ranking 23rd in rushing yards, with their free agent acquisition starting just nine games. Andre Williams offered flashes of potential, but the rookie remained raw, averaging just 3.3 yards per carry. The experience the 2014 fourth-rounder accrued, coupled with an enviable size/speed package, appeared to have the ex-Boston College runner’s stock pointing upward. But Williams’ playing time figures to be reduced this season after the Giants splurged on Vereen.

The Patriots’ preferred third-down back will be the Giants’ best backfield receiving target since Tiki Barber, with a key path toward passing-down work in New York. Vereen’s 52 receptions last season would’ve outdone any Giant runner since Barber’s 58 in ’06. Needless to say, the fifth-year veteran represents a significant upgrade for the Giants’ passing game. Jennings served as a three-down back under optimal circumstances last season but will lose that third-down role to Vereen, who could loosen Jennings’ grip on early-down carries. Although Vereen’s 96 totes last season doubled as his career high, while Jennings has three straight 100-plus-carry campaigns. The ex-Pats pass-catcher will now make the 10th-most money, on average, among backs, per OverTheCap.

Another former Patriot would’ve easily been the Giants’ biggest free agency coup, but Devin McCourty balked at Big Blue’s offer and returned to New England. Instead, the Giants doled out some of that money in curious fashion, handing Harris $3.5MM per season. This marks the second straight offseason the Giants signed a returner, and they gave a less-accomplished specialist far more money than they did to Trindon Holliday last year. Although an injured Holliday departed without playing for the Giants, Harris is set to be the team’s second-highest-paid wideout in 2016 with a $3.8MM cap number set to dwarf Odell Beckham‘s.

Special teams weren’t exactly a Giants strength last season — 18th in kickoff-return average; 19th on punt returns — but devoting that kind of cash to a player who at best will be fourth on a healthy receiver depth chart is interesting. Harris didn’t have a particularly good contract year in the return game but compiled solid seasons prior to that to give the indication that while the payment is outlandish, the Giants will be in better hands in the return game. The contract of Thomas, who was the worst Jaguars linebacker last season on Pro Football Focus’ metrics, figures to give the former Jags and Bears cog a good chance to start in New York after accruing just 12 in four seasons. It seems like Big Blue could’ve acquired this kind of player in the draft at a much cheaper rate.

In light of Will Beatty‘s torn pectoral malady that will force the left tackle to miss at least the first half of the regular season, Newhouse could reascend into a starting role. That kind of responsibility hasn’t been good to the journeyman tackle, who’s ranged from inconsistent to consistently bad in his four-year career, but the Giants have him slotted to start at right tackle entering training camp. This allows Justin Pugh to move to guard, where Giants coaches believe the former first-round pick can play at an All-Pro level. As strange as that may sound after Pugh’s adequate-at-best tackle output, he may have to relocate again if Newhouse struggles while Beatty’s out.

Notable losses:

The obvious subtraction on this roster comes at safety, where New York lost its top three performers. With Rolle, Demps and Brown departing, the Giants enter training camp thin on their back line. Playing 16-game seasons in each of his five Giants dockets, Rolle left to sign with the Bears. While on the downside of his career after a shaky 2014, Rolle held key leadership responsibilities for the Giants and was a Pro Bowl-caliber player as recently as 2013.

Two years removed from his freakish eight-interception 2012 slate, Brown did not follow that up with seasons which maintained that value. The former seventh-round Raiders draft pick ended up taking a one-year deal from the Texans. PFF rated Demps worse than Brown last year, and the two formed an unremarkable coalition at free safety. But their work may be better than what could be in store at that spot this season. Fifth-round picks with zero combined snaps, Cooper Taylor and Mykkele Thompson, from 2014 and 2015, respectively, will join Nat Berhe (32 career snaps) in the tussle for the job. Gordy and Bennett Jackson may join this makeshift battle as former corners who were reassigned due likely to the lean depth here.

The Giants’ secondary reboot also meant moving on from Bowman and Thurmond, respectively, leaving Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Prince Amukamara as the only New York secondary cogs who participated in more than half of last season’s snaps due back. Signed to a one-year, $3.5MM deal out of Seattle last March, Thurmond played just 67 snaps last season before heading to injured reserve, signing with the Eagles for almost the same amount and lobbing a salvo at Tom Coughlin on the way out. Thurmond’s injury, though, helped create time for Brown, Jayron Hosley, Mike Harris and Trumaine McBride, the latter receiving positive marks at PFF in each of his first two seasons with the team. With no cornerbacks selected in the draft, this quartet of veterans represents the Giants’ outside depth.

Save for DRC and Robert Ayers, much of the Giants’ 2014 free agent corps did not produce favorable returns, with Walton at the forefront of these shortcomings. The former Broncos starter who did not exactly come to New York with a track record of success lived up to his reputation by grading out as the fourth-worst center in the league, per PFF. Axed one year into a two-year, $5MM deal, Walton, after starting auditions with two teams, appears set for utility work in Miami. Walton’s departure paves a path for Weston Richburg to slide over from left guard, where he sputtered as a rookie, and play his natural center position. Richburg will be the Giants’ third starting center in three years.

Kiwanuka, once part of the famed NASCAR package during Super Bowl title campaigns, saw injuries help him deteriorate into a liability the past two seasons. The nine-year Giant’s release saved the team $4.83MM in cap space and leaves Amukamara as the team’s longest-tenured defender. With Kiwanuka gone and Pierre-Paul’s status uncertain, Ayers will be asked to play a bigger role after performing well in 386 snaps last season. Though the former first-rounder sputtered when given a full-time role early in his Denver tenure, Ayers quietly has become a solid performer, stringing together three straight respectable campaigns. He might be ready to assume more responsibility this season.

Extensions and restructures:

As our Dallas Robinson noted recently, Jenkins and Beason were likely to be asked to relinquish their playbooks had they not agreed to these restructures. Once a coveted free agent, the 34-year-old Jenkins occupies just a $2.1MM hold on the Giants’ cap this year. Still just 30, Beason may be close to the end, having missed 40 games the past four seasons. The former first-round pick may be the best option the Giants have to deploy in the middle, but Beason certainly can’t be counted on for steady availability. Jameel McClain may again be needed to provide emergency help after playing 993 snaps last year and finishing as the Giants’ tackles leader.

Schwartz enters the season as the Giants’ most valuable offensive lineman. Despite missing most of last year and helping to plunge the New York offensive front deep into mediocrity in doing so, Schwartz will be counted on in 2015 to deliver the kind of production he did for the Chiefs in 2013. And he’ll be attempting to do so at a bargain rate. PFF still favored Schwartz’s run-blocking on a sieve-like unit that featured horrendous gap creation, leading to the Giants’ 3.6 yards-per-carry average that ranked 28th in the league. A Schwartz-Pugh guard tandem will be in a better position to raise that figure than their predecessors.

Trades:

  • Acquired a 2015 second-round pick (No. 33; S Landon Collins) from the Titans in exchange for a 2015 second-round pick (No. 40; WR Dorial Green-Beckham), a fourth-round pick (No. 108; FB Jalston Fowler), and a seventh-round pick (No. 245; WR Tre McBride).

Draft picks:

  • 1-9: Ereck Flowers, T (Miami): Signed
  • 2-33: Landon Collins, S (Alabama): Signed
  • 3-74: Owa Odighizuwa, DE (UCLA): Signed
  • 5-144: Mykkele Thompson, S (Texas): Signed
  • 6-186: Geremy Davis, WR (Connecticut): Signed
  • 7-226: Bobby Hart, T (Florida State): Signed

The aforementioned dearth at safety made the trade to No. 33 vital for the Giants. With Collins projected by some to go in the first round, paying this price to move up seven spots to select the first-team All-American could prove critical. Collins’ range, which is not his strong suit, will be tested immediately come Week 1, considering the Giants’ strong safety situation won’t exactly force the rookie to put together a strong training camp to crack the starting lineup. The Alabama alum will see extensive action, as will the team’s top-10 pick.

Flowers will open the season as the Giants’ starting left tackle, as opposed to the more familiar right side where he was expected to line up. Although the ex-Hurricane has his detractors, the Giants now appear wise to have addressed this position in a prominent spot; Flowers represents Big Blue’s biggest investment in a rookie offensive lineman since they selected guard John Hicks at No. 5 in 1974. Pugh did not work out as hoped at right tackle, and Flowers has a more imposing rookie challenge in preparing to set the left edge for a unit that performed poorly in 2014. The 6-foot-6 standout did not allow a sack against ACC competition and obviously has a high ceiling, but Flowers will need to ramp up his consistency against competition a bit more daunting.

Destined for a nickname, Odighizuwa may be in a position to contribute earlier than his college profile of 12.5 sacks in four seasons suggests (although PFF refers to this facet of Odighizuwa’s game as underrated). But two hip surgeries do raise concerns for the newest contributor at an edge-rushing position that’s suddenly one of the Giants’ questionable areas after being a massive strength for most of the past 35 years.

Other:

The Pierre-Paul ordeal is the most interesting issue plaguing one of the Giants’ veteran bastions, but it’s not the only one. Victor Cruz‘s recovery from a torn patella tendon places the slot target’s ability to reach his former performance standard in question, and Eli Manning is entering the last year of his deal.

The 55-year-old Spagnuolo returns to the post he occupied in 2007 and ’08, but he doesn’t remotely have the weaponry at his disposal those teams possessed. After guiding a Saints corps that set an NFL record for yielded yardage in 2012, Spagnuolo has seen his reputation take a hit since the Rams hired him as their head coach in 2009. An alarming number of Fewell’s charges went down with season-ending injuries, but the Giants weren’t soaring before the ailments piled up. Fewell’s five-year tenure is long in modern coordinator standards, and the unit’s repeated pratfalls in recent slates (they were ranked 31st in 2012 and 29th last season in yardage allowed) probably necessitated a transition.

Top 10 cap hits for 2015:

  1. Eli Manning, QB: $19,750,000
  2. Jason Pierre-Paul, DE: $14,813,000
  3. Victor Cruz, WR: $8,125,000
  4. Will Beatty, LT: $8,050,000
  5. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB: $7,250,000
  6. Prince Amukamara, CB: $6,898,000
  7. Jon Beason, LB: $4,154,166
  8. Jameel McClain, LB: $3,400,000
  9. David Baas, C: $3,225,000 (dead money)
  10. Steve Weatherford, P: $3,075,000

Even though they were bound to get better with the potential for a Week 1 featuring Schwartz and Cruz back among the starting 11, the Giants probably improved offensively this offseason. But the issues with their top offensive and defensive linemen cloud any such progression. The latter leaves New York’s pass rush in doubt, and plenty will have to coalesce to envision the Giants contending with the Cowboys and Eagles for the division title deep into the season.

Contract information from OverTheCap and Spotrac was used in the creation of this post.

0 comments New York Giants Offseason In Review PFR Originals

Jason Pierre-Paul Notes: Sunday

By | at July 12, 2015 9:48 am

It has now been more than a week since Jason Pierre-Paul‘s Fourth of July fireworks accident, which ultimately cost him a finger on his right hand, and there’s still plenty of uncertainty surrounding the defensive end’s recovery and his contract. Here are the latest items on JPP:

  • There’s “no chance” Pierre-Paul will sign a long-term deal by Wednesday’s deadline, but there are still plenty of ways for his contract situation to play out. Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News examines five possibilities, suggesting that the most likely scenario will see JPP negotiating new terms to his franchise tender.
  • With the help of sports medicine analyst Mike Ryan, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explains why the multiple fractures in Pierre-Paul’s right thumb figure to wreak the most havoc during his recovery and rehab.
  • A prosthetic finger to replace the one he lost won’t be an option for JPP, according to Zach Braziller and Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post. Such a procedure would only make sense aesthetically, since a prosthetic wouldn’t be functional for playing football.
  • Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News criticizes Pierre-Paul’s decision not to bring the Giants into the loop on his health status. While Lupica might be right when he says that the lack of communication could create some ill will between the two sides, I certainly understand JPP’s perspective — the Giants appear to have no intent of withdrawing the franchise tag, even as they remain in the dark on the details of the 26-year-old’s injury.
0 comments New York Giants

NFC Notes: Hardy, JPP, Lee, Lions

By | at July 11, 2015 3:53 pm

Following Friday’s reduction of Greg Hardy‘s suspension, the Cowboys‘ highest-profile offseason addition has several legal options before he begins his season in Dallas, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

While the most obvious one is the defensive end accepting the six-game slashing of his ban and suiting up for a Week 5 tilt against the Patriots, Hardy has three different legal avenues, according to Florio. The potential solutions all concede Hardy should miss two games, just as Ray Rice was supposed to when the then-Ravens running back was slapped on the wrist for domestic violence under the league’s former, less-strict policy.

One involves a lawsuit and preliminary injunction, which would push for a two-game ban and go after judge Harold Henderson’s reasoning for assigning four games. Hardy and the NFL Players Association would have to get this matter resolved before the end of Week 2 or run the risk of the ex-Panthers Pro Bowler missing two more contests of greater consequence should the ruling not go down in his favor. Florio adds that should this strategy backfire, this situation could drag on further and potentially force Hardy to miss two games this season and two next season, which would affect the former sixth-round pick’s pursuit of his first noteworthy long-term contract.

Another route Florio offers but doesn’t recommend comes via the NFLPA suing and not seeking a preliminary injunction, meaning Hardy would miss the Cowboys’ first four games and sue to reclaim the two checks he would’ve missed. This method basically serves just Hardy while depriving Dallas of an extra two tilts with its best pass-rusher.

Here’s some other Saturday content from around the NFC.

  • The Cowboys will not move Sean Lee back to the middle linebacker position where he played in 2013, notes Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. Machota expects newly acquired Jasper Brinkley to play inside until Rolando McClain returns from his suspension, with the coaching staff preferring to keep Lee on the weak side.
  • Machota also believes La’el Collins would win a tiebreaker of sorts if he and incumbent Ronald Leary play at around the same level during the preaseason. While grading as the team’s worst offensive line starter last year, Leary still managed a positive assessment from Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Machota notes the 27-year-old Leary will have to play much better than Collins to keep his job.
  • Also mired in a complex saga going into his sixth NFL season, Jason Pierre-Paul has several courses of action going into the season, offers Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. JPP’s already informed the Giants he won’t sign his franchise tender until healthy, which will keep him off the unpaid Non-Football Injury list, but Vacchiano provides two interesting scenarios. One features the Giants’ best pass-pursuer not signing his tender and sitting out the season. While no money would come Pierre-Paul’s way, he’d have the chance to either sign a long-term contract with the Giants (or another team), or sign a franchise tender that figures to be higher than 2015’s $14.813MM defensive end tag. The Giants may be hard-pressed to re-apply a tag if Eli Manning is still unsigned by next March, notes Vacchiano. Of course, it also puts JPP’s ability in question, which would limit the kind of contract the 26-year-old could draw. The other path, and the one Vacchiano expects, is the Giants and JPP renegotiating his tender, lowering his 2015 salary — which is allowable under the CBA — in exchange for a promise not to place him on the NFI list.
  • Pierre-Paul not meeting with the Giants and notifying him of his decisions regarding his badly injured hand aren’t a sign of immaturity, but rather a bit of panic at what was unfolding in his life, Dr. David Chao tells Nick Powell of NJ.com. “If you’re going through this kind of mental anguish, are you going to talk to anyone? Even your friends?” Chao said. “I wasn’t in the room, but I know what players go through. I don’t think he was dissing the Giants; he was just in his own world, and understandably so.”
  • The Lions suddenly have plenty of depth at defensive end, which will create a high-quality competition for the rotation jobs, writes Justin Rogers of MLive.com. Corey Wootton and CFL sack champ Phillip Hunt will push backups Darryl Tapp and Devin Taylor for the top roles behind starters Ezekiel Ansah and Jason Jones. 2014 fourth-rounder Larry Webster also factors into this talented group that lost George Johnson, writes Rogers. A former starter, the 28-year-old Wootton has ability to play inside as well and figures to be a key cog here.
1 comment Dallas Cowboys Detroit Lions New York Giants

Extra Points: Pierre-Paul, Wilson, Los Angeles

By | at July 11, 2015 12:33 pm

Hall of Fame defensive back Ronnie Lott knows a thing or two about losing a finger. That’s why it was notable when the 49ers legend said Giants defensive lineman Jason Pierre-Paul would be fine after having a figure amputated earlier this week:

“He’ll be able to play with it and he’ll learn how to deal with it,” Lott said during an appearance on the “The Rich Eisen Show” (via Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News). “But the moment of not seeing it, the moment of looking at your hand and looking down and realizing you have that phantom (finger), where you use your finger but you don’t see it, there’s a lot of things emotionally that he’ll have to deal with. He’ll have to learn how to understand that it’s not there and that there are things that will play tricks on his mind.”

Let’s take a look at some more assorted notes from around the NFL…

  • If the Giants agree to pay Pierre-Paul, even if he lands on the non-football injury list, the defensive end will be with the team prior to Week One, reports Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.
  • Former Raiders draft pick Tyler Wilson is giving it one last shot at making an NFL roster. A fourth-round selection in the 2013 draft, the quarterback has yet to make an NFL appearance. “At this point, I’ll give this thing until August,” Wilson told Leland Barclay of the Times Record. “If I’ve with a team, I’ll continue to play and work into camp. I’m ready to go another direction. There’s life after football.”
  • The decision by the Rose Bowl to not put their name in the hat as a temporary Los Angeles home leaves the NFL with few options, writes Darin Gantt of ProFootballTalk.com. These options include the Coliseum (although they only want to host one team, not two), the Dodgers and Angels baseball stadiums, and the 27,000-seat StubHub Center. Despite the low number of seats at that latter suggestion, Gantt believes the NFL would still consider the venue.
1 comment City Of Los Angeles New York Giants

Extra Points: Hardy, J. Houston, JPP, Levitre

By | at July 10, 2015 8:46 pm

Arbitrator Harold Henderson’s ruling to reduce Greg Hardy‘s suspension from 10 games to four contains little in the way of clear logic, opines Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Instead of working off the old policy of a two-game ban for a domestic violence incident, or acknowledging that the new standard calls for a six-game suspension, Henderson did neither, per Florio, opting to seemingly create his own rule, simply stating that a ten games is “too much.” Had Henderson used the old statute as a basis for his decision, writes Florio, he would have had to explain how Hardy’s actions were twice as worse as those of Ray Rice, who was suspended two games after his domestic incident.

Here’s more from around the league…

  • Assessing the status of the four unsigned franchise players, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) ranks them (most likely to least likely) work out a long-term deal with their respective club: Justin Houston, Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, Jason Pierre-Paul. Cole gives JPP a zero percent chance of agreeing to an extension with the Giants given his injury concerns, but puts the chances of Houston reaching a deal with the Chiefs at 60%. Houston will discuss his contract with KC management this weekend.
  • The four franchise-tagged players are among the NFL players who could stage holdouts during training camp in the coming weeks, according to Jason Fitzgerald of the Sporting News, who looks at some other situations where a holdout might occur. Eric Weddle, Michael Bennett, and his brother Martellus Bennett could all stay away from training camp unless their contract situation is resolved.
  • Signed to a six-year. $46.8MM deal before the 2013 season, guard Andy Levitre has been a disappointment during his time with the Titans, but now that he feels completely healthy, he sees a turnaround on the horizon in 2015. “Knowing what I am capable of doing, and knowing I have done it in the past, I want to be able to get back to where I need to be to be successful,” Levitre told Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. “And to have that personal accomplishment means more to me than anything, and I think that will show to the coaches and the guys upstairs.”
0 comments Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos Kansas City Chiefs New York Giants Tennessee Titans

JPP Won’t Sign Franchise Tender Until Healthy

By | at July 10, 2015 9:07 am

In the wake of Jason Pierre-Paul‘s fireworks accident, the Giants had been expected to place their standout defensive end on the non-football injury list until he gets healthy. However, the team can’t make that move until JPP is under contract, and that isn’t the case for now. According to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Pierre-Paul doesn’t intend to sign his franchise tender until he’s confident that he can pass a physical, which would prevent the team from placing him on the NFI list.

The move isn’t a surprising one, since it gives Pierre-Paul and his camp some control over the process, rather than handing the reins over to the Giants. In his examination of the situation yesterday, Jason Fitzgerald of The Sporting News observed that JPP would likely hold out until the last possible moment. After all, if he were to sign his franchise tender tomorrow, the Giants would be able to place him on the non-football injury list for the start of the season, ensuring he’d miss at least six weeks and wouldn’t be paid during his absence.

On the other hand, if he waits until after the regular season gets underway to sign the tender, JPP will miss out on game checks, but he’d have the opportunity to return prior to that six-week mark. Franchised players have until after Week 10 to sign their tenders — if they haven’t signed by then, they’re not eligible to play in the NFL for that season.

Of course, this game of tug-of-war between Pierre-Paul and the Giants depends significantly on what the 26-year-old’s recovery timetable will look like. If it turns out he’ll have a chance to be ready by the time the regular season begins, New York may not even need or want to place him on the NFI list. On the other hand, if his recovery extends well into the regular season, the Giants could ultimately decide to rescind the franchise tender, recognizing that JPP won’t contribute much this year and likely won’t be re-signed.

In other words, we’re still in wait-and-see mode when it comes to Pierre-Paul’s health and his contract. However, both sides have certain cards they can play to gain leverage in the situation. As Fitzgerald noted in his piece linked above, a prolonged holdout could fracture the relationship between JPP and the Giants, but for now it seems like the best possible approach for the defensive end.

1 comment New York Giants Newsstand

Giants Will Keep JPP Despite Amputated Finger

By | at July 9, 2015 6:30 pm

The Giants fully intend to have Jason Pierre-Paul on their roster for the 2015 season, a person with knowledge of the situation told Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger. Pierre-Paul currently has a one-year, $14.8MM offer on the table as the Giants’ franchise player and the report seems to infer that the team will honor that offer.

Barring some unforeseen medical issues moving forward, the Giants are still committed to their 2010 first-round pick. However, one NFL executive that spoke with Raanan believes that the Giants are making a mistake.

“Send a message. Save the money,” the exec said of what he would do in this situation. “But it’s a typical case of long-term interest of team versus short-term interest of [general manager Jerry Reese and coach Tom Coughlin], who need to win games now.”

One salary cap expert echoed that sentiment, saying that he would pull the franchise tag from JPP and either replace him with someone else or use that cash to re-sign core players. Giants quarterback Eli Manning and cornerback Prince Amukamara are both entering their walk years and stand as extension candidates, particularly Manning.

Will the Giants rescind Pierre-Paul’s franchise tender? Joel Corry of CBSSports.com sees that as a very unlikely outcome if the defensive end is able to play most of the season. There is some precedent as franchise tenders have been revoked on three occasions, but JPP is the team’s only impact defensive player and they can’t really afford to be without him. If JPP’s tender is pulled off the table and he is deemed to be healthy, he could sign a lucrative deal elsewhere as an unrestricted free agent.

1 comment New York Giants Newsstand

Jason Pierre-Paul Updates: Thursday

By | at July 9, 2015 3:10 pm

After initial reports suggested that Jason Pierre-Paul‘s injury wasn’t serious, word broke last night that the standout pass rusher was having his right index finger amputated. The shocking development not only complicates JPP’s expected recovery and his contract situation, but has also resulted in speculation about how confidential medical information was leaked – possibly violating HIPAA laws – to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who then published that info on Twitter.

Here are Thursday’s updates on JPP’s situation:

  • It’s not clear why Pierre-Paul’s camp has kept the Giants in the dark about his health status, writes Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. Vacchiano hears from a team source that the club never discussed the possibility of withdrawing JPP’s franchise tag, and simply wanted to assist with his recovery. “We really don’t understand why they won’t let us help him,” one club source said. “What are they trying to do?”
  • Referring to Pierre-Paul’s decision to have his finger amputated, a person close to the defensive end tells Jordan Raanan of NJ.com that “it has nothing to do against the Giants.” As that source points out, JPP isn’t under contract with the team at this point, since he hasn’t signed his franchise tender. Still, it appears likely that the 26-year-old will rejoin the Giants at some point, and Raanan wonder how the relationship between the player and team will be affected going forward.
  • In a separate piece at NJ.com, Raanan passes along word that Jackson Memorial Hospital has begun an “aggressive” investigation into the release of Pierre-Paul’s medical chart. “If we confirm Jackson employees or physicians violated a patient’s legal right to privacy, they will be held accountable, up to and including possible termination,” said Carlos A. Migoya, president and CEO of Jackson Health System. “We do not tolerate violations of this kind.”
  • As Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) points out, the Giants will want Pierre-Paul to attend the team’s training camp to monitor his recovery progress, whereas JPP likely won’t want to sign his tender and report to camp until he’s fully healthy. According to Cole, if New York wants to get its top pass rusher to camp, the club may have to agree not to place him on the non-football injury list.
0 comments New York Giants Newsstand
Show all
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors