Report: Jason Pierre-Paul to Return Next Week

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According to ESPN.com, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul is planning to report to the the New York Giants next week. Pierre-Paul has yet to sign the team’s 1-year, $14.813 million Franchise tender and has skipped all team offseason activities including the offseason strength training and conditioning program, spring Organized Team Activity (OTA) practices and mini-camp, and summer training camp and preseason games.

Pierre-Paul suffered serious and possibly career-altering injuries to his right hand and arm during a July 4th fireworks accident. Pierre-Paul had his right index finger amputated at the knuckle and reportedly broke his right thumb and suffered burns on his arm that required skin grafts. Pierre-Paul has not allowed team officials to examine his injuries.

ESPN.com is reporting that Pierre-Paul will finally meet with team medical personnel next week. At that time, a determination will be made about when Pierre-Paul might be able to return to the practice and playing fields. Aside from his serious injuries, Pierre-Paul is not familiar with new Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s schemes and he is not in football shape, having missed all of the summer work.

If the Giants determine that Pierre-Paul is physically unable to play football yet, they have the option to place him on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) List, where they could choose not to pay him for the games he misses. Once a player is placed on the NFI, he must miss at least six games.

However, ESPN.com says, Pierre-Paul “won’t sign (his Franchise tender) until he is sure the Giants won’t place him on the non-football injury list” and that “he would like to speak to the Giants about guaranteeing the prorated portion of his salary that reflects the number of games he and they expect him to be able to play.”

In other words, Pierre-Paul is still going to try to wrestle as much money out of the Giants as he can despite his self-inflicted non-football injuries.

Giants.com Interview with LB J.T. Thomas: The video of a Giants.com interview with linebacker J.T. Thomas is available at Giants.com.

Articles on the 2015 New York Giants:

• NFL training camp injury report: How do the Giants stack up to rest of the league? by Jordan Raanan for NJ.com
• Phil Simms has nothing good to say about the Giants by Brett Cyrgalis of The New York Post

Article on RB Orleans Darkwa: Orleans Darkwa trying to prove he belongs by Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record