Jason Pierre-Paul’s football career in doubt.
The former Giant, sidelined because of a neck injury sustained in a May car accident, agreed to rework his deal with the Bucs so that the 2020 season of his contract is eliminated, according to ESPN. After the current season concludes Pierre-Paul — who has not played this season — will enter free agency and have the opportunity to prove he can still play in the NFL.
Pierre-Paul also agreed to cut around $3 million from his 2019 salary, meaning he’ll now pull in $10.5 million this season. The 30-year-old is on the non-football injury list, which means the Bucs were not obligated to pay out his full salary of $13.65 million.
The Bucs’ decision to let JPP walk is another sad blow for the Super Bowl 46 champion. Pierre-Paul has twice injured himself off the football field, infamously destroying his hand in a 2015 fireworks incident before his 5 a.m. car accident in May, for which he was not cited by police.
Still, JPP remained an effective player even after the fireworks incident, which cost him one finger and mangled another one.
He’s recorded 29 sacks in the four seasons since the accident, including 12.5 in his first season with Tampa Bay in 2018.
There is “no timetable” for Pierre-Paul’s return, according to the ESPN report.
And while he was cleared by team and independent doctors to resume rehabilitative exercises last month, he’ll have to prove his health to another NFL team pretty soon.