Giants trade Pierre-Paul
The New York Giants made a surprising move on Thursday, trading star defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He will join former Southeast High School and OU star Gerald McCoy on what the Bucs hope will be a formidable defensive front.
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 defense 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 fourth-round picks, with the Bucs moving up to the 102nd pick and the Giants selecting 108th.
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.
Pierre-Paul, who had 8½ sacks last season and 58½ 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.
They join returning six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy — a former Southeast High School and Oklahoma star — on a Bucs' line that hasn't had a player finish with double-digit sacks since Simeon Rice in 2005.
•The Minnesota Vikings have signed guard Tom Compton. He spent last season with the Chicago Bears, where he played in 11 games with five starts.
•The Atlanta Falcons have re-signed defensive end Derrick Shelby to a one-year contract. Shelby played in 16 games in 2017 and had 30 tackles with one sack. He has 10 career sacks in six seasons.
•Free agent safety Eric Reid says he is not planning to protest during the national anthem this upcoming season.
Reid has been among the NFL's most visible protesters since former San Francisco teammate Colin Kaepernick decided not to stand for the national anthem in 2016.
Reid continued the protest of racial injustice and police brutality last season as Kaepernick was unable to find a job. Reid is a free agent this offseason and has not received any contract offers despite strong play on the field.
•Rather than retire, Frank Gore is joining his hometown team. The NFL's active rushing leader agreed to terms with the Miami Dolphins, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Thursday. Gore, who turns 35 next month, grew up in South Florida and played for the Miami Hurricanes.
•The Oakland Raiders have re-signed backup quarterback EJ Manuel and signed free agent tackle Breno Giacomini.