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New York Giants Rumors: Jason Pierre-Paul To No Show Minicamp?

By Kenneth Teape

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New York Giants Rumors: Will Jason Pierre-Paul Be A No-Show At Minicamp?

On Tuesday the New York Giants will begin their first mandatory team function of the offseason, as they will begin their three-day minicamp. Head coach Tom Coughlin expected that everyone would be there, including franchise tagged defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. Well, it would seem that Coughlin may be a little bit disappointed when minicamp opens up, as it does not seem at this time that Pierre-Paul will be present.

Pierre-Paul is currently holding out in hopes of getting a long term contract offer from the Giants. Just prior to free agency, Pierre-Paul was designated as the Giants franchise player, having the franchise tender presented to him instead of the long term contract that he was seeking. The one-year tender is worth $14.813 million, but he has yet to sign the deal.

Because he is yet to sign, he is technically not required to be at minicamp. Since he is not under contract, and technically not on the roster, he has no obligation to take part in any team mandated activities. So, Pierre-Paul is within his rights not to show up, which makes sense for him. Without long-term security, Pierre-Paul has no reason to risk injury by playing on the practice field without his contract situation being resolved. So, he is not planning to take the field and risk injury.

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He could sign an injury waiver, but the more likely scenario is that he just doesn’t participate. Pierre-Paul is one of three players that have yet to sign a franchise tender. Kansas City Chiefs’ linebacker Justin Houston and Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant are the other two players yet to do the same. Bryant made headlines this week about his situation, threatening to sit out the first game of the season, coincidentally against the Giants, if he does not get the long-term contract that he desires.

Luckily for the Giants, things do not look like they will get to that point with Pierre-Paul. While there hasn’t been any real talks about a long term extension between Pierre-Paul and the Giants according to sources, the two sides still have until July 15th to work out a long term contract. If they cannot hammer one out before then, they will be unable to work out an extension until next offseason. That would leave Pierre-Paul with two choices; either sit out the season or sign the tender for the 2015 season.

It would be hard to imagine Pierre-Paul sitting out the whole season over this contract dispute, something the Giants aren’t expecting either. They feel that he will sign his tender sometime before training camp opens July 30th. He has been working out in the meantime in Florida on his own as he will more than likely wait until as long as he possibly can until signing the franchise tender.

This is something that Pierre-Paul had to be prepared for, as the Giants are obviously wary about handing him a long-term contract. While he has improved in the run game, and racked up 12.5 sacks in 2014, he has had some problems with inconsistency. But, nine of those sacks last season came in the last five games of the season.

Dec 28, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul (90) reacts against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Also, he battled nagging shoulder and back in 2012 and 2013 resulting in just 8.5 sacks combined in the two seasons and five missed games in 2013. But, prior to that, he had a breakout 2011 in his sophomore season, totaling a career-high 16.5 sacks.

So while the talent is obviously there, the Giants are hoping that Pierre-Paul can put it together in consecutive seasons. They cannot afford to hand out a long term, big money contract to a player they are not sure they can count on season after season.

So, that leaves us where we are at now. Pierre-Paul will definitely not be practicing when minicamp opens, but there is a chance he still shows to sit in on meetings and hangout with the team. We will have to wait until training camp more than likely to see Pierre-Paul back on the field with his teammates, as he has no incentive to sign that tender until there is a zero percent chance of him getting the long term contract he desires.

Next: Will Rueben Randle breakout in 2015?

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