New York Giants officials traveled to South Florida earlier this week expecting to meet with Jason Pierre-Paul in the hospital, but they never got a chance. Does that have something to do with Pierre-Paul’s contract situation?
Pierre-Paul has yet to sign his franchise tender, which is worth nearly $15 million for the 2015 season. The 26-year-old is seeking a long-term deal, and Jason Cole of Bleacher Report believes the fireworks accident could create significant “tension” between Pierre-Paul and the Giants.
“Don’t expect Pierre-Paul and the New York Giants to come to any kind of easy resolution to his contract situation,” Cole reported on Thursday. “The accident, which has led to the amputation of his right index finger, skin grafts on his hand and upper arm and a broken right thumb, is not going to cause Pierre-Paul to want to acquiesce to the Giants’ demands any time soon.”
You would think the fireworks mishap would give the Giants leverage, but it doesn’t sound like Pierre-Paul sees it that way. He reportedly chose to have his finger amputated so he could get back to playing in a more timely manner. And if the broken thumb takes six weeks to heal, JPP would be ready by around the middle of training camp.
According to Cole, the Giants want Pierre-Paul to report to the start of training camp so they can monitor his progress. However, the defensive end might choose to hold out until his hand is completely healed, which would mean not signing the franchise tender before the July 15 deadline.
Ideally, Pierre-Paul wants the Giants to agree not to put him on the non-football injury list before he does anything. If he signs the tender and the team puts him on NFI, Pierre-Paul would not be paid for the first six weeks of the regular season, which would be worth about $6 million.
The Giants already pulled this long-term offer after Pierre-Paul got hurt, but that could be because the sides were so far apart. They could be even further apart as more details about JPP’s injury emerge.
