The franchise tag finally got some exercise on Monday, with five impending unrestricted free agents getting slapped. But while I wasn’t surprised to see Le’Veon Bell, Melvin Ingram, Chandler Jones or Kawann Short get hit with the tag, it was a little surprising to see the New York Giants tag pass-rusher Jason Pierre-Paul.
On one hand… Pierre-Paul is a veteran Pro Bowler with 50 career sacks under his belt. There were questions regarding his ability to bounce back from a freak hand injury, but he was actually superb for much of the 2016 season. And he was particularly hot before suffering a core injury late in the year. He had 5.5 sacks in his final two full games of the season, finishing with seven sacks and one of the highest Pro Football Focus ratings at the defensive end position in 12 games.
On the other hand… Pierre-Paul is 28, and he’s been held to seven or fewer sacks in four of his last five seasons. Injuries and wear and tear are factors, but he really hasn’t been the same since recording 16.5 sacks as a sophomore in 2011. To boot, the defense made do without JPP during the final four weeks of the 2016 campaign, recording eight sacks and nine takeaways while surrendering just 10 points per game. With that in mind, a projected tag price of close to $17 million seems a little silly for an aging, somewhat unreliable rusher — especially considering that the Giants are a little short on salary cap space.
