Latest predicting jason pierre pauls future with the giants

Dan GrazianoJul 5, 2015, 10:00 AM ET

A couple of more New York Giants Twitter Mailbag questions to finish off your holiday weekend...

@DanGrazianoESPN Do you think JPP will get a contract with the Giants? #nygmail
— Olle Sjögren (@osjogren) July 2, 2015

@DanGrazianoESPN: I do think Jason Pierre-Paul will ultimately get a long-term contract with the Giants. But that's only a guess and an effort to predict the future, which is an ability I do not possess. As the team's designated franchise player, Pierre-Paul has 10 more days to sign a long-term deal. If he and the team don't agree on a long-term deal by July 15, his only options are to play out 2015 on the $14.813 million franchise tender or sit out the year. There has been no progress whatsoever toward a long-term deal, so July 15 is likely to come and go without one, and the strong likelihood is that Pierre-Paul signs his tender before training camp, plays on that one-year franchise deal and becomes a free agent next year at the age of 27. Whether the Giants sign him to the long-term deal he seeks next year depends on how this year goes. If Pierre-Paul performs like a top defensive end -- one worthy of the Robert Quinn-level contact he desires -- then I believe the Giants will sign him long-term. If he struggles again with the health and consistency issues that have so far made them hesitant to commit to him long-term, they likely let him walk. But contrary to a lot of my readers' opinions of me, I have a bit of an optimistic streak, and I'm going to predict that Pierre-Paul has a big year and ends up signing with the Giants for the long term next spring.

@DanGrazianoESPN So you think Cullen Jenkins stays at DE and Jay Bromley gets a bigger role inside at DT?#nygmail
— Ross O'Keefe (@RossOKeefe2) July 2, 2015

@DanGrazianoESPN: No, I do not. I think Jenkins can play defensive end in a pinch, but the reason he saw so much action there in spring practices was because Pierre-Paul was absent, Damontre Moore was absent and hurt, Robert Ayers was hurt and Owamagbe Odighizuwa was hurt. They had a lack of bodies at defensive end in OTAs and minicamp, and Jenkins' ability to move out there allowed them to run their drills and operate their rotation in spite of the shortage. Once Pierre-Paul is back and those other guys are healthy, they mix in with George Selvie, Kerry Wynn, Jordan Stanton and the others and Jenkins goes back to his defensive tackle position, where he'll rotate with Johnathan Hankins, Kenrick Ellis, Markus Kuhn and Bromley. They like knowing they can use him at defensive end if they need to, and that versatility likely keeps him on the team. But if Bromley makes a big jump, he could certainly eat into the veteran Jenkins' snaps in 2015. Hankins is the only sure thing at defensive tackle, and they'd love to plug someone like Ellis in next to him on first and second downs to take advantage of Hankins' pass-rush ability. But if Ellis or Kuhn doesn't prove to be the run-stuffing nose tackle they'd like to have in that spot, they'll mix and match with those other guys and that could mean more opportunity for 2014 third-round pick Bromley as he progresses.

I'm headed out on another vacation week, so I'll catch up with y'all again on July 13. Training camp is only 25 days away...

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Predicting Jason Pierre-Paul's future with the Giants