G-Men trade longtime franchise staple JPP to Bucs
When John Mara announced the firings of Ben McAdoo and Jerry Reese in December, the Giants’ co-owner promised wholesale changes. It marked the first time since 1979 that the franchise was hiring a new head coach and general manager in the same year. The worst season in team history left no alternative.
New GM Dave Gettleman made his boldest move yet Thursday, trading defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and a fourth-round pick in this year’s draft (No. 102 overall) to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for third-round (No. 69 overall) and fourth-round (No. 108 overall) picks.
Pierre-Paul, 29, played his first eight seasons in the league with the Giants. He was a first-round pick out of South Florida in 2010. He earned two Pro Bowl selections as well as a First Team All-Pro nod in 2011, the same year the Giants won their most recent Super Bowl title.
“We appreciate everything Jason has done for the Giants,” Gettleman said in a statement released by the team. “He was a fine player for us, and he helped our franchise win Super Bowl XLVI. We wish him well in the future.”
Financially, the move significantly helps the Giants’ rebuild in the long run. Pierre-Paul signed a fouryear, $62 million contract one year ago. That deal was set to carry salary cap hits of $19.5 million and $17.5 million in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
But in 2018 the Giants will only save $2.5 million off Pierre-Paul’s original $17 million cap hit. This is because his $20 million signing bonus was prorated over the final three years of the contract in a way that leaves $15 million in dead money this year.
Still, the long-term savings give the Giants much more budget flexibility, especially as it pertains to wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and safety Landon Collins. Both star players are entering the final season of their current contracts.
The Giants gained an additional $2.45 million in cap space Thursday by cutting kick return specialist Dwayne Harris, who missed the final 11 games last season with a foot fracture.
Moving on from PierrePaul at this point also makes sense from an onfield standpoint.
Although the veteran compiled 68 tackles and 8.5 sacks in 16 games last season, he failed to flash as a consistently dominant pass-rusher. Three of his sacks came in Week 5 against the Denver Broncos, and his total of five quarterback hits ranked 55th among all NFL edge defenders, according to Pro Football Focus.
Pierre-Paul played in a 4-3 scheme for the entirety of his Giants tenure, so there were also questions regarding how he would fit in new defensive coordinator James Bettcher’s 3-4 front.
The defensive line in the Giants’ new base defense will likely feature defensive end Dalvin Tomlinson, nose tackle Damon Harrison and defensive Josh Mauro, who signed with the team Monday after playing four seasons under Bettcher’s tutelage in Arizona.
The Giants’ likely viewed Olivier Vernon, their other highly priced pass-rusher, as a better fit at outside linebacker next season than Pierre-Paul.
The trade also means the Giants could draft North Carolina State’s Bradley Chubb, widely considered this year’s best defensive end prospect, with the No. 2 overall pick. One of the top quarterbacks, Penn State running back Saquon Barkley or Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson are other logical selections.
The Giants now hold six draft picks all inside the first six rounds — No. 2, No. 34, No. 66, No. 69, No. 108 and No. 139.
The bottom line is Gettleman, head coach Pat Shurmur and the Giants’ new regime aren’t letting sentimentality obstruct smart business decisions. PierrePaul missed 12 games in his final three seasons with the team following a 2015 fireworks accident which required an amputation of his right index finger.
Of the 45 players the Giants drafted between 200813, Pierre-Paul was the only one still on the team until now. Only quarterback Eli Manning (2004) and long snapper Zak DeOssie (2007) have been with the franchise longer.
This marks Gettleman’s second offseason trade. Earlier this month he moved fourth- and sixthround picks this year to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for a 2019 seventh-round pick and inside linebacker Alec Ogletree, whose talent fills a need at a position the Giants have long lacked production.
Gettleman has also cut former Pro Bowl cornerback Dominique RodgersCromartie after the veteran declined a paycut, and he has begun rebuilding the Giants’ offensive line with the signings of left tackle Nate Solder and guard Patrick Omameh. Both were starters in the AFC last season with the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars, respectively.