2:54pm: According to Kimberly Jones of the NFL Network (Twitter link), the Giants will want any contract with Pierre-Paul to feature incentives for playing-time and production. As Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports adds (via Twitter), if JPP thinks he’s getting his full remaining salary guaranteed, he has been misled.
Meanwhile, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explains why Pierre-Paul probably should have signed his franchise tender weeks – or months – ago.
1:42pm: As expected, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul has reported to the Giants for the first time since the 2015 regular season began. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets that JPP arrived at the team’s facility earlier this afternoon.
We’ve heard from Cole and other reporters over the last 24 hours that Pierre-Paul and his camp are confident that the veteran pass rusher is healthy enough to sign his franchise tender and start playing for the Giants immediately. However, there were rumblings before the season that JPP thought he was close to returning, and the team disagreed at that point, sending him back home to recover further. So we’ll have to wait to see what the club thinks this time around.
A physical exam of Pierre-Paul’s hand looms large, and Cole tweets that Dr. Robert Hotchkiss, the Giants’ team doctor, will evaluate JPP to see if he’ll be able to play with a glove on that injured hand.
If the club decides that the 26-year-old is ready, it may be as simple as having him sign his franchise tender and getting him back on the field. However, there may be some additional issues to sort out — Pierre-Paul will want assurances that the Giants won’t place him on the non-football injury list, where the team could withhold his pay, and the club may want to reduce JPP’s 2015 salary in exchange for that concession.