New York Giants, Jason Pierre-Paul Agree To Contract

The New York Giants began to reshape their pass rush for the upcoming season, re-signing defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul to a one-year contract.

The New York Giants have a lot of holes to fill this offseason in free agency. One of the biggest question marks revolved around defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who was set to become a free agent. He will not be hitting the open market, as Pierre-Paul and the Giants agreed to a new contract Tuesday, according to Adam Schefter, with Ian Rapoport being the first to report it.

1-year deal between #Giants & Jason Pierre-Paul sounds like a real $10M deal with a chance to make $10.5M. #AZCardinals offered much more
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 8, 2016

Giants and JPP reach agreement on a 1-year deal, as @RapSheet reported. JPP's deal worth up to $10.5 million. Arizona made late push for him
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 8, 2016

This is a fair deal for both sides, as Pierre-Paul gets a decent amount of money and the Giants retain one of their better players without having to commit beyond the 2016 season. On a one-year prove it deal, Pierre-Paul can hit the open market again next offseason as a 28-year old with plenty of productive years ahead of him.

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The only thing holding Pierre-Paul back right now is the condition of his badly injured right hand. Pierre-Paul injured the hand in a Fourth of July fireworks accident last summer, as he lost his index finger and major portions of his middle finger and thumb. Pierre-Paul was able to get back on the field for the final half of the season, but the results were mixed.

While Pierre-Paul was in terrific football shape, still possessing his athleticism and football stamina, his production was uneven. Wearing a huge club like cast on his right hand, Pierre-Paul was often unable to finish plays; he struggled to finish off tackles or break away from blocks as he was using only one hand.

Because of that, he was only able to record one sack. But, Pierre-Paul was extremely disruptive in the backfield, providing much needed pressure that the Giants lacked all season. He also graded out well according to Pro Football Focus, finishing 30th out of 91 qualifying players.

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Pierre-Paul had another surgery on his hand this offseason already to try and get more use out of it. With a contract already in hand, Pierre-Paul can now focusing on getting healthy and adapting his game to the injured hand. He may never be able to do what he could do before the injury, but Pierre-Paul will put in the work to try and get as close as possible despite a less functioning hand.

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