NFL free agency: Predicting where top 25 projected players land in 2022
By Peter Panacy
58. . EDGE. Washington Commanders. Jason Pierre-Paul. 12. player
2022 NFL free agency: Jason Pierre-Paul to Washington Football Team
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ lethal pass-rushing duo of EDGEs Shaquil Barrett and Jason-Pierre Paul can’t be sustainable forever. And with Barrett up for free agency now, it’s likely Pierre-Paul winds up being the player who has to walk.
It’s the right move. After all, Pierre-Paul is likely trending towards the downside of his career and will be 33 years old once the 2022 season starts.
That said, if teams want a quality pass-rusher, those teams have to pony up the money. And Pierre-Paul will likely command one more big contract in his career.
On top of that, Pierre-Paul has been the mark of consistency, particularly over the last four seasons:
- 2017: 68 tackles, 13 QB hits, 8.5 sacks
- 2018: 58 tackles, 20 QB hits, 12.5 sacks
- 2019: 27 tackles, 16 QB hits, 8.5 sacks
- 2020: 55 tackles, 14 QB hits, 9.5 sacks
While the Washington Football Team has a lot of other needs, particularly on offense, its defensive line is on the up and up, particularly with EDGE Chase Young emerging as a superstar. Targeting a player like Pierre-Paul would give Washington that one-two punch in its pass rush.
Plus, Pierre-Paul would have the opportunity to go up against his old team, the Giants, twice a year. That’s good enough motivation.