Jason Pierre-Paul Owes the New York Giants

When you take into account the mess that was 2015, New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul owes the franchise a great season.

It is rare for a National Football League player to owe a team anything.

NFL players are, after all, paid employees who are only guaranteed so much money over set periods of time. Players either earn their contracts, or those deals are eventually terminated. Some players are overpaid, some are underpaid, but things usually even themselves out around the NFL.

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Thus, fans should not be upset when a player such as New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul wants more than a contract that just pays a large sum of money for one year as was the case with Pierre-Paul last summer. While a franchise tag guarantees a player millions upon millions of dollars, it does not carry with it the same kind of guaranteed money that is included in a multi-year deal.

Pierre-Paul’s situation changed over the July 4 holiday last year, though, when he suffered a serious hand injury caused by a fireworks accident. That accident cost Pierre-Paul full use of his right hand, his index finger and also millions of dollars that he would have earned from the Giants had he entered the 2015 NFL season healthy and with 10 fully-working fingers.

Pierre-Paul ultimately returned to the field and played in eight games last year, but he was understandably not the dominant figure of old. Burdened by a protective club that covered his entire hand, Pierre-Paul finished the campaign with just a single sack. The New York pass rush as a whole was better with Pierre-Paul on the field, however, and Pierre-Paul played well enough to receive offers from other clubs.

James Kratch of NJ.com and others reported that Pierre-Paul gave the Giants a bit of a hometown discount, as he could have made more money had he signed for a team such as a Arizona Cardinals. Knowing this may lead some to suggest that Pierre-Paul has already done enough for the Giants as it pertains to 2016.

Not exactly.

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For starters, it is not as if Pierre-Paul should be hurting for cash anytime soon. Per Spotrac, the Giants will be paying Pierre-Paul $8.5 million in guaranteed money for 2016. The contract could earn Pierre-Paul up to $10 million when all is said and done. While the deal is unquestionably a “prove it” deal for a player who was not exceptional on the field in 2015, things could be a lot worse for Pierre-Paul heading into the summer.

Signing Pierre-Paul to a one-year deal that doesn’t break the bank was good business for the Giants. There would, however, have been no real fan outrage had the Giants decided to move on and allow Pierre-Paul to join a different franchise. Yes, accidents happen, but Pierre-Paul showed a baffling lack of judgment in putting himself in such a position on July 4.

Memo to pro athletes everywhere: Your bodies are what allow you to become millionaires, and careers in pro sports are often over in the blink of an eye. Do not do anything off of the field of play that could lead to serious injuries.

In a way, the Giants did Pierre-Paul a solid. Not only will the Giants pay Pierre-Paul up to $10 million if he remains healthy and is able to contribute to the team. Pierre-Paul wanted to remain with the team, and the Giants granted him this wish. Pierre-Paul does not have to learn a new defense. He does not have to worry about impressing a new group of coaches and teammates. He won’t have to waste any time finding a new home in a new city.

Pierre-Paul owes the Giants. Big time.

No player in Pierre-Paul’s shoes should need any extra motivation once the season begins, as 2016 will be a pivotal year for the future of his career. One of two things is going to happen with Pierre-Paul between now and January: Pierre-Paul will either prove that he can still harass quarterbacks and that he can once again accumulate sacks, or he will show that the fireworks accident has left him a shell of his former self.

There is no in-between.

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Nobody can, as of now, say for sure what Pierre-Paul will be following another operation that should allow him to play without the club surrounding his hand. The contract that the Giants awarded Pierre-Paul could be seen as a “low risk, high reward” deal, but there is nevertheless risk involved. We could learn by December of this year that the Giants wasted millions of dollars and a roster spot on a pass-rusher who can no longer be an impact player at the position.

The question has to be asked: What would be considered a good season for Pierre-Paul 2.0 in 2016? Pierre-Paul was a streaky player as it pertained to sacks even before the fireworks accident. He had 16.5 sacks in 2011, but he has never come close to matching that. Pierre-Paul’s best season since then occurred in 2014 when he had 12.5 sacks in what was a contract/franchise tag year.

The 27-year-old now faces the same situation, except this time he does so without a complete right hand.

Do the math, and you will find that Pierre-Paul has accumulated 43 sacks in 83 regular-season games. That is good for about .52 sacks per game, or a sack every other game. That type of production in 2016 would mean that Pierre-Paul would essentially make $1 million per sack this year.

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Not bad money if you can get it.

Expectations for Pierre-Paul should be realistic. Pierre-Paul is probably not going to have a career year, nor is he going to be helpless against opposing offensive lineman. Will he be good enough to remain with the Giants past 2016? That’s on Pierre-Paul, who has a lot to prove to the Giants now that he has had a full offseason to adjust to his physical limitations.