The New York giants are keeping one of their key defensive pieces in house. According to sources and ESPN's Adam Schefter, they have just agreed to a long term deal with Jason Pierre-Paul. The deal is a four year deal. The Giants had until July 15th to come to terms on a long term deal with Paul, as they placed their franchise tag on him. Paul has proven he still has what it takes to be a premier pass rusher and his stats last year proved it. This also shows that the Giants are making sure their defense stays intact, seeing the jump they made last season.
Worth the money
The Giants deal with Pierre-Paul is a pretty nice one. It is a four-year deal that will pay him on average $17 million a year according to Schefter. There is $54 million in guaranteed money in the deal. Paul has proven his worth, coming up with seven sacks last year. He also batted down 12 passes last season, which was ranked eighth in the entire league. Paul could've padded his stats a little more but a hernia injury cut his season short.
Paul made it known very early that he didn't want to play on another one-year "prove it" deal, saying at the end of the season, "I'm not playing on no one-year deal. I've proved it. I've showed it. There is not really another guy like me out here doing it with 7½ fingers still." (ESPN).
The Giants saw firsthand that he can do it, and made sure they locked him up. According to Paul's twitter, he hasn't signed anything, but the two sides agreed to the deal and Paul should be signing it any minute now.
Defense wins
When Paul signs the deal with New York, they will show that they are all-in with their defense. The Giants already invested in Olivier Vernon, and Damon Harrison from their D-line, and it has paid off.
Their defensive line was one of the most dominant in the league last season. The Giants' defense stepped up last season, ranking second in points allowed, tenth in yards allowed, and third in rush yards allowed.
The Giants' defense is only getting better with the return of the core this season. Also with the offense getting more star power with the signing of Brandon Marshall, the Giants are looking like a legit Super Bowl contender.
They have to make sure they get a run game to help out Eli Manning, as they were one of the worst running offenses.
Jason Pierre-Paul is a star defensive end, and with him staying with big blue, expect them to have one of the best defenses in the league. The Giants are making defense a top priority, as the old saying goes, "defense wins championships."
