Jason Pierre-Paul Franchise-Tagged by Giants: Latest Contract Details, Reaction

Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul appears to be staying with the New York Giants after the organization used the franchise tag to retain his services.

The team announced the news via its official website.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com first reported the decision. Prior to Rapoport's report, Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News noted "Source says Giants will continue to try and sign JPP long-term after tag, but they're not afraid to let him play out 2015 for $14.813M."

Pierre-Paul racked up 77 total tackles, 12.5 sacks and three forced fumbles while playing all 16 games last season. The high sack total was a result of a late surge, which saw him register nine quarterback takedowns over the final five games.

That's not completely uncommon, though. His career numbers show he's tallied 15 of his 42 sacks in December, which is five more than any other month. It seems he's just a player who excels late as opposed to just a contract-year push.

Before heading into the offseason, the South Florida product admitted he wasn't sure how things were going to play out. Jordan Raanan of NJ.com passed along his comments about treating everything like a business decision: "Like I said, it is going to be a business situation. It's going to be about my family, and what I want to pursue. At the end of the day, I'm here. Like I said earlier in the season, if I am a Giant, then I will be a Giant for my whole life. I don't know what is going to happen."

The Giants didn't immediately tip their hand about whether they would use the franchise tag if an extension agreement wasn't reached. So there were more questions than answers.

In the end, he's staying with the Giants for the foreseeable future. The front office likely reached the conclusion that replacing him would have been difficult, even if he's a bit streaky. There's a high demand for effective edge-rushers and a limited supply.

Now, the question is what player the Giants can expect in 2015—the one that was a major force off of the edge in 2011 and in 2014, combining for 29 sacks in those campaigns or the one who had just 13 total sacks in his other three seasons.

Pierre-Paul contributes more on defense than just attacking the quarterback and has become of one the leaders on defense. That said, the sacks are the most important aspect of his game—mostly because getting pressure is vital to success in today's NFL.

New York will hope he can build off of his strong finish to last season in order to reach new heights next fall.