Written By Paul Schwartz at NewYorkPost.com
Rarely does common sense and NFL free agency walk hand-in-hand through the process, but it did for the Giants and Jason Pierre-Paul. The two sides knew the situation was unique, acted accordingly and the result was an agreement Tuesday on a one-year contract for JPP to return for the 2016 season.
Pierre-Paul’s permanently damaged right hand makes speculating on his future value almost impossible. The Giants were not going to give their 27-year old defensive end a long-term deal, not until they get a better look at what JPP can do over a full season dealing with a right hand that contains 3 1/2 fingers.
The one-year deal is worth up to $10.5 million, according to ESPN. It is no doubt a deal that includes playing time and production incentives to get to that figure. Pierre-Paul attracted interest in free agency — the Cardinals were intrigued — and he could have found a team willing to pay him more, for longer than a one-year contract. Any offer, though, would have been below what JPP considered market value for a player of his stature, and he would have been locked into a deal that he believed he would immediately outperform.
New head coach Ben McAdoo said last month at the NFL Scouting Combine any deal for Pierre-Paul would be “something we all want to be comfortable with.’’ He also expressed great optimism that JPP’s ability to get to the quarterback “comes natural for him and you don’t think that’s gonna change any time soon.’’
What cannot be discounted was Pierre-Paul’s desire to return to the Giants. He is gambling on himself and his ability to put together a comeback season in 2016 and then hit the open market once again.
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