We’re still months away from the start of the new NFL season but already there are plenty of talking points with regards to America’s most popular league. One story that is captivating the nation right now is the circus surrounding New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul.
Just in case you haven’t heard it yet, Pierre-Paul suffered one of the dumbest injuries in the history of the National Football League after being involved in a fireworks accident during the Fourth of July weekend celebration. The situation remains fluid at the moment but the latest development coming out of Pierre-Paul’s camp states that the Giants star has had his right index finger amputated as a result of that gruesome accident.
That’s a bitter blow for Pierre-Paul who was in line for a huge $60 million deal with the New York Giants this season. The defensive end still has not yet signed the one-year, $14.813 million franchise tender the Giants gave him this past spring so technically he’s still not under contract with the Giants. With this latest injury news, the Giants can rescind that tender and make Pierre-Paul an unrestricted free agent. There’s plenty of uncertainty surrounding Pierre-Paul’s contract situation right now but one thing that’s definitely clear for the Giants right now is that they have lost, either for short-term or long-term, one of the best defensive players in the NFL.
With Pierre-Paul set to miss the first six games of the season, the pressure is now definitely on the Giants defensive line which ranked just 29th in the NFL in stopping the run last season. Based on NFL odds for Week 1, it looks like the Giants will have their work cut out for them against the Cowboys in the opening game of the season.
Jason Pierre-Paul was one of only two guaranteed starters on the Giants line (along with defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins), and the only established pass rusher with 12.5 sacks last season. That’s the second time in four seasons he has reached double figures in that category. With Pierre-Paul now out for the first half of the season, their hopes of reaching the playoffs for the first time since their Super Bowl victory in 2012 remain bleak as well.