Will Giants rescind franchise-tag offer from Jason Pierre-Paul?
We’re still gathering details from the July 4 fireworks-related hand injury to New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, but several reports Monday suggest that his short-term health and long-term prognosis both appear to be OK, even with the possibility of nerve damage in his hand.
The Giants placed the franchise tag on Pierre-Paul, their best pass rusher, this offseason, but the two sides have not come to an accord on a long-term deal. There have been a few tense moments over whether it will be done. And now the Giants could opt to rescind the franchise tender.
That’s right: The CBA states that teams are allowed to pull a franchise-tag designation when a player fails to “establish or maintain his excellent physical condition,” which might include not allowing pyrotechnics to go off in a player’s hand.
We shall see if the Giants opt to do that. It might depend on Pierre-Paul’s immediate diagnosis and his version of what happened on Independence Day. Can’t imagine Tom Coughlin was too thrilled when he heard this story … although imagining his side of the initial phone conversation, now that we believe JPP will avoid serious injury, might be slightly amusing.
Although losing out on a one-year tender offer of a fully guaranteed $14.8 million can be viewed as a blow, the glass-half-full person might look at it and say that JPP technically could hit the market and perhaps land a better — and longer-term — deal elsewhere as a free agent.
But the most likely option is for the Giants to place Pierre-Paul on the non-football injury (NFI) list, which would keep the team from having to pay his salary. Here’s that section of the CBA:
A player on N-F/I who is in the final year of his contract (including an option year) will have his contract tolled. However, if the player is physically able to perform his football services on or before the sixth regular season game, the club must pay the player his negotiated Paragraph 5 Salary (pro rata) for the balance of the season in order to toll such player’s contract. If such player is taken off N-F/I during the period when such action is allowed by League rules, his contract will not be tolled.
Either way, JPP likely hasn’t helped himself with this accident.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
