Giants ship Pierre-Paul to Bucs

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey — Sending two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul to Tampa Bay for two draft picks gives the New York Giants much-needed salary cap space for 2019 and allows the Buccaneers to continue rebuilding a line that had the fewest sacks in the NFL last season.

With the unexpected trade announced Thursday, the Giants take another step in their rebuilding under new general manager Dave Gettleman and the Bucs upgraded their defence in a bid to end a decade-long playoff drought.

The Giants will get Tampa Bay’s third-round pick (69th overall) in the draft in late April. The teams also will swap fourthround picks, with the Bucs moving up to the 102nd pick and the Giants selecting 108th.

“Jason is an elite-level edge rusher who will make an immediate impact on our defence,” Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said in a story posted on the team’s website. “We are adding a two-time Pro Bowler who is passionate about the game and has established himself as one of the league’s premier defensive ends.”

Later in the day, the Giants announced they had terminated the contract of wide receiver and special teams player Dwayne Harris, who missed the final 11 games with a broken foot.

While the Pierre-Paul trade only clears up a couple of million dollars in cap space this year, the benefit for the Giants — who were 3-13 last season — will be in 2019 when it sheds roughly $18 million US in cap space. That will be important with safety Landon Collins and receiver Odell Beckham Jr. both possibly looking for new contracts.

The effects will be more immediate for the Bucs, who were 5-11 last season and had 22 sacks.

Pierre-Paul, who had 8 12 ⁄ sacks last season and 58 12 ⁄ since being drafted with the 15th pick overall in 2010, joins a team that recently signed two members of the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, defensive end Vinny Curry and tackle Beau Allen. Former Bears tackle Mitch Unrein also was signed.