Scenarios For Jason Pierre-Paul, Giants
The Giants have yet to release an official statement on the injuries sustained by Jason Pierre-Paul over the weekend due to a fireworks mishap. Reports so far have indicated that Pierre-Paul’s career shouldn’t be in jeopardy, and he may still play this season. However, as Jordan Raanan of NJ.com writes, the hand injury is serious enough that JPP still remains in the hospital about 36 hours or so after the accident occurred.
Raanan notes in his piece that Pierre-Paul’s long-term health trumps the football aspect of the injury at this point, and the Giants are concentrating on their player’s health and mental well-being for now. Still, considering Pierre-Paul isn’t technically under contract at this point, the injury has the potential to have a significant impact on his upcoming deal, so the situation is worth a closer look. If the injury is determined not to be as serious as initially feared, it shouldn’t hugely reduce JPP’s potential earnings, but he certainly has less leverage today than he did last week.
Here’s where the contract situation currently stands: Pierre-Paul received the franchise tag from the Giants earlier this offseason, meaning the team automatically offered him a one-year, $14.813MM contract for 2015. Because the standout defensive end didn’t immediately sign that tender, he remains a free agent, and could sign an offer sheet with another team at any time. However, any interested club would have to part with two first-round picks to land him, so that possibility is minuscule. The most likely scenarios for Pierre-Paul, prior to the injury, were either playing out the 2015 season on his one-year franchise tag or reaching a multiyear contract agreement with the Giants by the July 15 deadline.
Before word of Pierre-Paul’s injury broke, I expected the two sides to ramp up negotiations in the next week or so before ultimately agreeing to terms on a long-term extension by next Wednesday. That could still happen, but the hand injury clouds the situation a little. Here are the various scenarios that we could see play out in the coming weeks:
- Pierre-Paul, Giants reach long-term contract agreement: As noted above, this remains a possible outcome. Perhaps JPP would have to accept a minor discount, but if his recovery timetable ends up being measured in weeks or months rather than years, his overall value shouldn’t be too diminished.
- Pierre-Paul signs franchise tender: As long as the franchise tender remains on the table, Pierre-Paul can sign it and assure himself a $14MM+ salary for 2015, perhaps electing to revisit discussions on a longer-team deal after the season. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk observes that, because of the injury, a clause in the CBA would allow the Giants to terminate JPP’s contract and avoid paying him any of that $14MM+ salary, but that would mean making him an unrestricted free agent, which the Giants likely won’t be eager to do.
- Giants withdraw franchise tender: If the Giants were to withdraw JPP’s franchise tender before he signed it, they could attempt to negotiate a new deal with him at a lesser rate. But withdrawing that franchise tag would also allow the 26-year-old the freedom to sign anywhere, so the Giants would be taking a huge risk. There are still plenty of teams with a healthy amount of cap room who would be very interested in pursuing this sort of player if he were an unrestricted free agent.
- Giants place Pierre-Paul on non-football injury list: Another scenario detailed by Florio, this looks to me like the most probable outcome, whether or not the veteran pass rusher and the team reach a multiyear agreement. Because JPP sustained the injury while he was away from the Giants, the club would have the option to place him on the non-football injury list and not pay him until he recovers. Pierre-Paul and the NFLPA could try to fight the move, but their case would require medical evidence to show that the former first-rounder is healthy, and based on what we’ve heard over the last couple days, it doesn’t sound like that hand will fully heal anytime soon.
We’ll have to wait for official word on Pierre-Paul’s injury to know exactly how important a factor it will be in contract negotiations between the Giants and their franchise-tagged player. But for now, it’s hard to imagine the team committing a huge chunk of guaranteed money to JPP.
Jason Pierre-Paul Injured In Fireworks Accident
7:32pm: While initial reports did not specify the severity of the injuries, only that they were serious, Pierre-Paul’s hand injury is not considered to be career-threatening. Chris Mortensen of ESPN writes that it may not be game- or season-threatening either, which should give Giants’ fans a little relief (via Twitter).
Paul Schwartz of the New York Post gave the most specific details to the injury, writing that flesh from JPP’s palm and fingertips had been burned off, but his fingers remain completely intact.
This clears up some of the more imaginative thoughts about Pierre-Paul, but does not give much clarity to whether or not the Giants would consider pulling the franchise tag or if this injury would provoke Pierre-Paul and his agent to sign it quickly to avoid an uncertain free agent market should the injury be more serious that a burn on his hand.
3:51 PM: Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul reportedly seriously injured his hand in a fireworks accident in South Florida last night, according to Andy Slater of 940AM-WINZ (via Twitter).
Slater tips his cap to Marc Eisenberg, who was the first to report the injury, before confirming which player it was (via Twitter). It was his initial tweet that described the unnamed player’s hand as “seriously damaged” (via Twitter). The Giants have not confirmed the injury officially yet, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter), but Jason Cole of Bleacher Report does confirm that Pierre-Paul suffered some sort of injury (via Twitter).
The Giants placed the franchise tag on Pierre-Paul earlier this offseason, but the player has not signed the tag yet so no contract has been officially agreed to, writes Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com (via Twitter). He notes that is this rumor is true it would be extremely bad for him and his value.
Fitzgerald clears up the unusual procedure of the injured player who hadn’t signed his franchise tag. He writes that a team can pull that tender at any time, which would result in Pierre-Paul immediately becoming an unrestricted free agent (via Twitter). He notes that even if he had signed, the Giants would have had recourse due to the non-football injury aspect anyway (via Twitter). The team could have voided the contract or asked for better terms.
East Notes: Bradford, JPP, Gachkar, Jets
After years of being proactive with their quarterbacks in the post-Donovan McNabb era, the Eagles are still at a crossroads with their projected starter.
Philadelphia extended Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick in the late Andy Reid years before re-signing Mark Sanchez this offseason. But Sam Bradford still sits in a walk year despite changing teams, and Andrew Brandt of TheMMQB.com analyzes the risks both sides take by standing pat and the benefits possible for each party.
Brandt estimates Bradford, with the huge caveat of whether the 27-year-old signal-caller makes it through the season unscathed, could be somewhat of a prize next offseason for a quarterback-needy franchise considering a market that as of now houses Russell Wilson, Philip Rivers and Eli Manning could be left with only Bradford with the cost of inking QBs on a perpetual rise. But despite Bradford having already earned a preposterous $65.1MM as the last No. 1 overall pick of the old CBA, the sixth-year veteran could be worth next to nothing with another season-ending malady, increasing the urgency to negotiate a deal with the Eagles before the season begins.
Although traded for 2013-14 starter Nick Foles, who has won almost as many games (14) in three seasons than Bradford has in five (18), Brandt notes there remains a remote trade possibility, and Andrew Kulp of CSNPhilly.com writes a Week 1 starting lineup featuring Sanchez is not beyond the realm of possibility. On the books for $12.99MM cap number, Bradford’s still in a solid position, with what could be a scant quarterback derby next March and the possibility of the position’s franchise tag skyrocketing to around $20MM next season, per Kulp.
Let’s look at some additional Eastern items this afternoon.
- Jason Pierre-Paul intends to play this season at around 265 pounds, notes the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz. Weight’s served as a bit of an issue for Pierre-Paul since his dominant 2011 showing. The 2010 first-round pick hasn’t signed his franchise tender worth $14.8MM yet and hasn’t showed at the Giants‘ facilities for OTAs or minicamp, instead opting to train in his native Florida. Schwartz adds only a “remote” chance exists JPP and the Giants agree on a long-term deal by July 15.
- Special teams coach Rich Bisaccia and linebackers boss Matt Eberflus influenced Andrew Gachkar to sign with the Cowboys, along with Texas’ absence of a state tax, reports Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. Gachkar said his primary position will likely be strongside linebacker while playing under his former instructors at Missouri and with the Chargers, respectively.
- At the moment, the Jets‘ starting tight end is sixth-year veteran Jeff Cumberland, as Jace Amaro is listed as the H-back under Todd Bowles. But the Jets won’t wait around for the inconsistent Cumberland, writes Brian Costello of the New York Post. Although the 28-year-old hasn’t exactly had proficient quarterbacks throwing to him, Cumberland rated as the worst tight end last season among players who garnered at least 25% of their team’s snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
- The Dolphins are likely to deploy Jeff Linkenbach as their starting right guard, offers James Walker of ESPN.com. Walker predicts the former Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts cog will beat out Billy Turner for the position. Possibly the most reported Evan Mathis suitor, Miami would be giving snaps to a sub-par guard in Linkenbach in this scenario. The sixth-year veteran’s last full season as a starter — 2011 in Indianapolis — produced some ghastly results, according to PFF (subscription required). Linkenbach hasn’t started more than eight games since.
Dez, Houston, JPP Won’t Be At Minicamp
When the Broncos held their mandatory June minicamp last week, franchised wide receiver Demaryius Thomas wasn’t in attendance. Thomas is one of four players who received the franchise tag but have yet to sign their tenders, and the other three appears set to follow his lead this week. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Dez Bryant, Justin Houston, and Jason Pierre-Paul won’t report to their respective clubs’ minicamp on Tuesday.
Houston’s anticipated absence from the Chiefs’ minicamp is perhaps the least surprising of the three. Head coach Andy Reid indicated last week that the NFL’s reigning sack leader “probably” wouldn’t be in attendance this week. After Ndamukong Suh signed a record-setting deal with the Dolphins in March, Houston’s asking price likely increased, and there’s no indication yet that he and the Chiefs are anywhere close to an agreement.
Bryant, meanwhile, made a brief cameo at the Cowboys’ OTAs, a hint that perhaps he’d report sooner rather than later. However, a Friday report suggested that he was shifting to a more hard-line negotiating stance, threatening to sit out Dallas’ regular season opener if he and the club haven’t agreed to a multiyear extension by that point.
As for Pierre-Paul, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin had stressed in recent weeks that he expected the veteran pass rusher to attend the team’s June minicamp, but it looks like Coughlin’s prediction won’t come to fruition. The fact that JPP – like Thomas, Houston, and Bryant – has yet to sign his franchise tender means he isn’t subject to fines for missing this week’s supposedly “mandatory” minicamp, since he isn’t technically under contract.
All four franchise-tag players have a month to work out long-term extensions with their respective teams. If a franchised player doesn’t have a multiyear deal in place by July 15, he’ll have to play the 2015 season on a one-year contract, if he plays at all.
East Notes: Welker, Eagles, Boykin, JPP
As Albert Breer of the NFL Network tweets, free agent wideout Wes Welker told Toucher and Rich of 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston that he wants to continue his playing career, and wouldn’t be opposed to rejoining the Patriots.
Examining potential fits for Welker, Field Yates of ESPN.com (Insider-only link) agrees that perhaps New England could be a match, though he gets the sense that it’s unlikely to happen. Yates also identifies the Ravens and Texans as potential landing spots for the veteran receiver.
Let’s round up a few more items from around the NFL’s two East divisions….
- Two Eagles players who were the subject of trade rumors in Philadelphia this offseason addressed those rumors recently. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer has the quotes from defensive lineman Fletcher Cox, while Mark Eckel of NJ.com passes along linebacker Mychal Kendricks‘ thoughts on the matter. Kendricks said he expects to still be on Philadelphia’s roster by the time the season gets underway, but admitted there haven’t been any extension talks with the team.
- Eagles cornerback Brandon Boykin is expecting to continue to play in the slot this season rather than getting a chance to start on the outside, and says that story is “getting real old,” writes McLane in a separate Inquirer piece. As Zach Berman of the Inquirer tweets, Boykin says if he plays well in his contract year, he expects he’ll get the chance to play a bigger role when free agency hits.
- Cameron Jordan and Jason Pierre-Paul aren’t entirely comparable, but Jordan’s new five-year, $55MM contract (worth up to $60MM) could have an impact on JPP’s negotiations with the Giants, writes Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
Poll: Will JPP Sign Long-Term Extension?
A year ago, the only franchise-tagged player who remained unsigned at this point in the offseason was Saints tight end Jimmy Graham, who was in the midst of arguing that he should get a wide receiver’s salary rather than a tight end’s. Graham lost that battle and ultimately signed a long-term contract with the Saints just before the annual July 15 deadline.
This time around, four franchised players are still unsigned, and earlier this week, when I asked whether Justin Houston and Dez Bryant would sign multiyear deals with their respective teams by July 15, the majority of you voted that it won’t happen.
Today, we’ll shift our attention to a third franchised player, Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. Out of the four players who have yet to sign their tender, I would have expected JPP to be the most likely to have done so by now. After all, his one-year salary ($14.813MM) would be the highest of the bunch, and he’s arguably coming off the least productive season of the group.
That’s not to say Pierre-Paul didn’t have a strong 2014 campaign — he finished with 12.5 sacks and three forced fumbles, and was the league’s seventh-best 4-3 defensive end according to Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required). Still, nine of those sacks came in the season’s last five games, and JPP wasn’t quite the destructive defensive force that a player like Houston was.
In my view, JPP’s high franchise salary, along with his modest career production, makes him the franchise-tagged player most likely to reach an accord with his team and avoid playing the season on a one-year deal. There’s been no sense of animosity between the two sides, and I doubt Pierre-Paul’s contract demands will be quite as significant as what some of the other franchised players may request. Conversely, the Giants may be more open to working out a multiyear contract than some other teams would be, since they’re already budgeting nearly $15MM for JPP in 2015.
What do you think? Do you agree that Pierre-Paul is more likely to sign a long-term deal by July 15, or do you think he – or the team – will drive a hard bargain, ultimately leading to JPP playing out his one-year tender?
Update On Franchise-Tagged Players
Pro Football Rumors’ list of current free agents features a number of interesting names, including veteran players like Steven Jackson, Wes Welker, and Reggie Wayne. But the most intriguing free agents remaining on the list are a handful of players with an “(F)” following their names — Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, Justin Houston, and Jason Pierre-Paul.
Of course, if these players were truly unrestricted free agents, they would’ve been snapped up about two minutes after free agency opened back in March. That “F” signals that they’ve been franchised by their respective clubs, with the non-exclusive tag. They’re still technically free agents, since they have yet to sign their one-year tenders, but their free agency is restricted — any team wanting to sign one of these players would have to submit an offer sheet, and surrender two first-round picks if their offer isn’t matched by the player’s current club.
That’s a steep price to pay for any team, which is likely why we haven’t heard of any potential suitors trying to make a run for any of these players. You could make an argument that a team with cap flexibility that expects to pick late in the first round in the next couple years – the Packers, Bengals, or Chargers, for instance – should consider making a run at a star pass rusher like Houston. However, spending time negotiating with a franchised player and attempting to craft an offer that his team won’t match takes a lot of time and effort. And when the alternative to simply wasting time is losing two first-round picks and committing upwards of $15MM annually to a free agent, it makes sense that teams would be wary.
In all likelihood then, these four “free agents” will simply return to their current teams. So far though, none of the four have reported to their respective clubs’ offseason programs.
Asked about Pierre-Paul’s potential attendance at next month’s mandatory minicamp, Giants coach Tom Coughlin told Newsday’s Tom Rock, “I expect him to be there.” That’s a sentiment I imagine head coaches Jason Garrett, Gary Kubiak, and Andy Reid would echo for their own franchised players.
Because these four players have yet to sign their tenders though, they’re under no obligation to attend a so-called “mandatory” minicamp or even July’s training camp. Those camps are only mandatory for players under contract, and Bryant, Thomas, Houston, and Pierre-Paul aren’t under contract for now.
So what’s the next step for these players? That next step could still be a couple months away. July 15 represents a key deadline, since it’s the last day a franchised player can sign a multiyear extension with his team. If no long-term deal is in place by then, the player will likely have to simply sign his one-year tender (though not necessarily right away) and play out the 2015 season before potentially hitting unrestricted free agency in 2016.
The Cowboys, Broncos, Chiefs, and Giants are all believed to have discussed long-term contracts with their franchised players at some point, whether that happened recently or as far back as last fall. While those talks may not have been fruitful up until now, deadlines tend to spur action, so over the next two months, it will be worth keeping an eye on these four players to see how many of them bridge the gaps and reach agreements on multiyear extensions, avoiding the uncertainty of a one-year deal for 2015.
For what it’s worth, the only player whose franchise tender remained unsigned as training camp approached last year was Jimmy Graham — Graham and the Saints ultimately struck a deal on – you guessed it – July 15.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFC Notes: JPP, Giants, Lions, Falcons
Yesterday, we heard that Jason Pierre-Paul didn’t report to the Giants‘ first day of voluntary offseason workouts, but even though the defensive end didn’t participate in the team’s workouts, he did stop by the facility, writes Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News. As Samuel notes, because JPP has yet to sign his franchise tender and didn’t sign an injury waiver, he couldn’t have worked out with the team even if he wanted to. At this point, a holdout doesn’t appear likely — Pierre Paul’s absence from workouts had been expected.
Here’s more from across the NFC:
- The Giants are very high on USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams, and if Williams slips past the top three picks in the draft, “it wouldn’t be at all surprising” to see the Giants make a bold move and trade up to grab him, writes Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. In his look at 2015’s class of defensive linemen earlier today, our Rob DiRe outlined why Williams is easily the top prospect at his position.
- In addition to confirming a pair of previously-reported pre-draft visits, Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com says that the Lions also hosted Arizona State safety Damarious Randall today.
- After working out privately for the Panthers, Buccaneers, and Texans earlier in the pre-draft process, Duke wide receiver Jamison Crowder is visiting the Falcons today, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Rapoport also notes (via Twitter) that Kevin White‘s visits with the Rams and Bears, which had been previously reported, happened yesterday and today, respectively.
- While the 49ers aren’t a lock to select a quarterback in the draft, they’ll almost certainly add a rookie or two at the position this offseason, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.
- Former Razorbacks quarterback Tyler Wilson will work out at the Bears‘ veteran minicamp next week, he announced on ESPN Radio in Arkansas. Matt Jones of WholeHogSports.com has the details.
NFC East Notes: RGIII, JPP, Scandrick
There’s a lot of talk over whether Washington will exercise Robert Griffin III’s fifth-year option by May 3rd, but he’s not fretting it too much, as Jeff Darlington of NFL.com writes. “I wouldn’t be bummed,” Griffin said. “Either way, we’re going out there to prove it this upcoming year — not next year. I just want to win. I want to win games and have fun doing it. The rest will take care of itself. They can pick up the option — or they can decide not to pick up the option. It’ll work out either way. I’m focused on this year.” More from the NFC East..
- The Giants have not made a long-term offer to Jason Pierre-Paul, according to Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger. JPP, who had 12.5 sacks last season, was locked in on a one-year deal earlier this offseason. Now, the 26-year-old perhaps has a little bit of extra incentive to perform as he looks to land a big deal after this season.
- As we learned this morning, Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick, whose modest $1.5MM salary places him below even most teams’ No. 2 corners, didn’t report to the first day of Dallas’ offseason program. As Albert Breer of the NFL Network points out (via Twitter), Scandrick has a $500K de-escalator in his deal tied to workouts, so he’ll risk a third of his 2015 salary if he continues to stay away from the team.
- Washington safety and linebacker Shaq Thompson, who could be in play at No. 20 in the draft, visited the Eagles today, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).
East Notes: Dez, JPP, Giants, Mathis, Jets
Most teams around the NFL begin their voluntary offseason programs today, and a handful of players in the NFC East won’t be in attendance at their respective teams’ workouts. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), the Cowboys will be without franchise player Dez Bryant and underpaid cornerback Orlando Scandrick, and Jordan Raanan of NJ.com reports that another franchise player, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, will be absent for the Giants.
Meanwhile, Eagles guard Evan Mathis, who attended the team’s voluntary workouts last spring amid trade rumors, won’t do the same this year, per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who tweets that Mathis is staying away for now. Asked about his absence, the veteran offensive lineman jokingly replied, “I’m in Antarctica looking for frozen dinosaurs to extract their DNA and splice them with my chihuahuasaur” (Twitter link via McLane).
While we wish Mathis the best of luck on his Antarctic expedition, let’s round up a few more items from out of the NFL’s two East divisions:
- The Jets likely won’t select Breshad Perriman with the sixth overall pick, when one or both of Kevin White and Amari Cooper could still be on the board, but New York is doing its homework anyway, hosting the UCF wideout for a visit today, a league source tells Pro Football Talk (Twitter link).
- There’s a good chance that the Giants will re-sign safety Stevie Brown soon, writes Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. According to Schwartz, Brown would like to return to New York, but wanted to see if he could do better than the one-year deal the Giants offered him. However, it doesn’t appear that any other potential suitors are willing to do a longer-term contract.
- As the Giants continue to consider options at safety, Raanan tweets that Virginia defensive back Anthony Harris – who is capable of playing the free safety position – visited the team this weekend.
- Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post has details on another Giants pre-draft meeting, reporting that Purdue running back Akeem Hunt is visiting the club today.