The car accident in which Jason Pierre-Paul was involved may keep him out of football in 2019. But JPP and the Buccaneers are not conceding that yet.
Pierre-Paul requiring surgery for the neck injury he sustained would keep him out up to six months, putting his 2019 availability in question. Upon looking at JPP’s scans, the Buccaneers grew concerned the edge rusher suffered a fractured vertebrae in his neck, James Palmer of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). But JPP is seeking out several other medical opinions.
JPP plans to send the results of those tests to “several” other doctors this week, per Palmer, who adds hope remains that surgery will not be necessary and that the ninth-year player could be back in time for Week 1.
“While Jason was treated and released in south Florida the same day of the accident, we wanted to ensure that our medical team had an opportunity to perform a thorough evaluation here in Tampa, and that process is currently ongoing,” Bucs GM Jason Licht said.
The Bucs received a 12.5-sack season from Pierre-Paul in 2018, it doubling as Tampa Bay’s double-digit sack season since 2005. He obviously remains a key figure in Tampa Bay’s defense — even as it moves to a 3-4 look, a scheme in which JPP has not played as an NFLer. Tampa Bay drafted a pass rusher, Iowa’s Anthony Nelson, but waited until Round 4 to do so. The Bucs signed Shaquil Barrett this offseason. Prior to the injury, JPP was not attending Bucs offseason workouts.
This marks the second major off-field injury for JPP, who suffered severe hand damage in a 2015 fireworks accident, and the second straight offseason in which the Bucs have dealt with an off-field injury. Kendell Beckwith did not play last season because of an ankle injury sustained in a car accident.
With Pierre-Paul’s $7.5MM injury guarantee becoming a full guarantee in March, the Bucs have little recourse here when it comes to the salary cap. But it’s certainly possible the team looks for another pass rusher in free agency. Gerald McCoy is expected to be released, if no trade can be reached, freeing up $13MM in cap space. The Bucs hold just $1.8MM in space, so they would have to create some space before pursuing one of the UFA edge rushers.
If it is just a fracture of the vertebra, they can simply keep him in a brace for a while and then wean him out. It only takes a fracture 3-4 months to fully heal in a healthy individual. No need for surgery. If he has a burst fracture with damage to a disc, then he would likely need surgery. Even then, he may be a candidate for a cervical disc replacement which has a pretty quick recovery.
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