New York Giants: What the Jason Pierre-Paul trade means for the future

The New York Giants trading defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers opens up a plethora of options for the future.

The New York Giants dealing defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and a fourth-round draft pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for third- and fourth-round selections, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, surprised fans and some in the football world, but it was hardly a shocking transaction. There were few, if any, rumblings the trade was imminent even as of Wednesday, yet it is a deal general manager Dave Gettleman couldn’t refuse.

The former Giants front office guided by Jerry Reese showed loyalty to Pierre-Paul by awarding him with a four-year contract that could be worth up to $62 million when all is said and done. JPP responded by tallying eight sacks in 16 games last season, but concerns remain the 29-year old will never be the player he was before the much-publicized fireworks accident that permanently damaged his right hand on July 4, 2015. Truth be told, Pierre-Paul never repeated the success he enjoyed in 2011 with two good hands, let alone over the past few campaigns.

Pierre-Paul turned 29 years old at the start of the current year, so he theoretically could still have some stellar play left in the tank. Gettleman and company clearly didn’t believe that to be the case, an understandable conclusion to make considering Pierre-Paul’s lengthy injury history. This trade wasn’t about locker-room culture or about saving money in 2018. As Ralph Vacchiano of SNY explained, the Giants are only saving about $2.5 million this year. Moving Pierre-Paul is about the future, a future that begins next month at the 2018 NFL Draft.

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Every possibility other than the drafting of whomever the Cleveland Browns select with the first overall pick is on the table for the Giants immediately after Pierre-Paul’s exit. The hot buzz as of the afternoon of March 22 is that the Browns want USC quarterback Sam Darnold. That may change, or such rumors may be inaccurate. Assuming, for the moment, the Browns will take Darnold, the Giants possess all the power as holders of the second selection.

Highly-rated defensive end Bradley Chubb could be on New York’s radar. Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, among others, have reported the Giants aren’t enamored with any of the top-tier quarterbacks in this draft class, so staying put and grabbing Chubb to serve as Pierre-Paul’s replacement is logical, on paper. Such flirtations with Chubb could also be a brilliant smokescreen leading up to another blockbuster deal.

Much is going to be made about the Giants switching to a 3-4 defensive front. Such hot takes are nonsense. Teams are in nickel defenses somewhere between 65 and 70 percent of snaps. In short, the Giants didn’t need to trade Pierre-Paul ahead of the opening game of the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament to draft Chubb a month down the road.

Doing so does, however, put a team that may covet Chubb, such as the Indianapolis Colts, on notice. The Pierre-Paul trade is also an announcement to quarterback-hungry sides like the New York Jets, Denver Broncos and maybe even the Arizona Cardinals that the second pick of this year’s draft is for sale if the price is right.

Say, for example, Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur are convinced Davis Webb can replace Eli Manning in the future, and they respond by scaring the Jets or the Broncos about a willingness to move down in the first round. The Jets, Broncos or Colts could offer the Giants an opportunity to receive additional future assets and potentially land Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, a player high on New York’s draft board, per Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News, or perhaps a signal-caller such as Baker Mayfield or Lamar Jackson.

Of course, the Pierre-Paul trade is about more than this year’s draft. Getting him off the books now means the Giants will have more money to pay the likes of wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and safety Landon Collins, both of whom could enter free agency after the 2018 season. The Giants could save even more cash by moving on from the previously mentioned Manning next winter, but that’s a different discussion for a different time.

Next: NFL Mock Draft: Unexpected first-round picks post-FA

Gettleman has done well to improve on a roster that finished with the second-worst record in the NFL, while also looking at building for the future. It’s a successful offseason, to date, even if it doesn’t lead to Manning ever again hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy while wearing a Big Blue jersey.

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