Jason Pierre-Paul agrees to restructured contract with Bucs

Jason Pierre-Paul still has no clear timeline for a return as he continues to recover from a neck injury, but there is now a chance the star defensive end will never play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers again.

Pierre-Paul and the Bucs have agreed to a reworked contract that will now expire following the 2019 season, ESPN’s Field Yates reports. The new deal clears salary cap space for the team while allowing Pierre-Paul to collect more than $10 million this year and potentially become a free agent if he is cleared to play.

The Bucs and DE Jason Pierre-Paul have agreed to a reworked contract that now expires after this season, per source. The Bucs cleared $4.4M in cap space, while JPP gets $10M+ in pay plus a path to FA in March. A compromise for both sides as JPP continues to rehab his neck.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 25, 2019

Pierre-Paul was in the third year of a four-year, $62 million contract he signed with the New York Giants back in 2017. The Giants traded him to Tampa prior to the 2018 season for draft picks. The 30-year-old made a huge impact with the Bucs last year, as his 12.5 sacks in 16 games were the most he has had since 2014. However, yet another non-football injury changed his career path during the offseason.

Pierre-Paul suffered a neck injury during a single-car crash back in May. He was initially expected to miss at least the first six weeks of the season, but there have been questions about whether he will play in 2018 at all.

If you remember, Pierre-Paul already had to battle his way back with the Giants years ago after he lost a portion of his hand in a fireworks mishap. His football career has been a rollercoaster, to say the least.