Report: Giants were ‘pleasantly surprised’ by Jason Pierre-Paul’s play

Jason Pierre-Paul struggled a bit when he returned to action after his fireworks mishap, but that was to be expected while he was playing with nine fingers and a cast on his right hand. Overall, the New York Giants were encouraged by his performance.

Pierre-Paul is set to become a free agent next month, and it is unclear if the Giants will make a big effort to keep him. Don’t be surprised if they do, as Jordan Raanan of NJ.com reports that the team was “pleasantly surprised” by the way Pierre-Paul played down the stretch in 2015.

Pierre-Paul recorded just one sack in eight games, but he finished fifth in the NFL with 41 total quarterback pressures during that span. While there were times when it appeared he was struggling to make tackles (video here), things could have been worse for JPP considering the severity of his injury.

The Giants are expected to let Pierre-Paul test the open market, and it would not be a surprise if some other team is willing to take a chance on the 27-year-old and hope he can return to his pre-injury form. Should that happen, New York is unlikely to break the bank.

As one NFL writer pointed out with an incredibly cruel joke, the Giants have a high pick in the draft and are in position to replace Pierre-Paul with a quality pass-rusher. That may be the safest bet at this point.