Jason Pierre-Paul Reportedly Franchise-Tagged by Giants

The New York Giants reportedly utilized the franchise tag on defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, Pro Football Talk reported Monday. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo confirmed the report.

According to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, the Giants are reportedly using the non-exclusive tag, which will net Pierre-Paul an estimated $16.83 million on a one-year tender.

Garafolo noted New York felt compelled to act since Pierre-Paul was receiving heavy interest throughout the league. ESPN.com's Josina Anderson reported the Giants are continuing to work with him on a possible long-term extension.

Pierre-Paul emerged as an impact edge-rusher during his first five years in the NFL after the Giants selected him with the 15th overall pick in 2010. He racked up 42 sacks during that time, including a career-high 16.5 in 2011, and helped New York capture the Super Bowl XLVI title.

His career took a dramatic turn in July 2015, though.

An Independence Day fireworks accident forced Pierre-Paul to get his right index finger amputated as part of his recovery from a severely damaged hand, per Dan Graziano of ESPN.

The Florida native detailed the scary ordeal in a conversation with Jason Buckland of Sports Illustrated the following April but stated he didn't have any regrets about the incident.

"I have no regrets at all [about the accident]," Pierre-Paul said. "I carry myself differently. I look at things differently. I try not to put myself in horrible situations anymore. I have a lot of people depending on me—even people I didn't know depended on me."

The defender returned to play eight games during the 2015 season. He failed to provide much production while attempting to adapt to the permanent changes, however, finishing with 26 combined tackles and just a single sack.

Pierre-Paul played more like his old self in 2016. He registered 53 combined tackles, seven sacks and three forced fumbles in 12 games. Alas, his season was once again affected by injury, as he missed the end of the campaign with a core muscle injury.

He posted a picture on Instagram after undergoing surgery in December:

Jordan Raanan of ESPN noted Pierre-Paul made it clear after the season ended he had no interest in another short-term agreement with the Giants after playing under a one-year pact in 2016.

"I'm not playing on no one-year deal," he said. "I've proved it. I've showed it. There is not really another guy like me out here doing it with 7½ fingers still."

Pierre-Paul added: "My future is bright. [I] just turned 28 years old."

Ultimately, JPP likely won't be happy with receiving the tag because it's nothing more than a glorified one-year contract. He was seeking more long-term stability after making strides following the injury, but now he's on track for another "prove it" campaign in New York.

That said, it was key for the G-Men to avoid creating an additional void to fill in the front seven. The defense ranked in the middle of the pack with 35 sacks last season. Losing him would have led to serious questions about the team's ability to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

The Giants will continue to lean heavily on the combination of Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon at defensive end next season. Other changes are likely on the horizon for the unit, particularly in the secondary, after the team ranked 23rd against the pass in 2016, though.