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A former Tampa Bay Buccaneers starter wants to continue his NFL career.
Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who started for the Buccaneers during their Super Bowl season in 2020, is looking to sign with a playoff contender this season. As noted by Michael David Smith of NBC Sports, Pierre-Paul is willing to sign a practice squad contract to continue his career.
“Veteran NFL defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul hopes his career isn’t over,” writes David Smith. “Pierre-Paul wants to join a contender and is willing to sign a practice squad contract, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The 34-year-old Pierre-Paul played last season with the Ravens, starting 13 games. Before that he played four seasons for the Buccaneers, and before that eight seasons with the Giants.”
Jason Pierre-Paul Was Key Player on Bucs’ Super Bowl Team
The 34-year-old more recently spent four seasons with the Buccaneers (2018-2021) and started 52 of his 54 appearances. Pierre-Paul posted 33 sacks, 171 tackles and 55 quarterback hits during his four seasons in Tampa Bay, including a Pro Bowl appearance in 2020 after posting 55 tackles and 9.5 sacks.
Pierre-Paul became such a vital part of the Buccaneers’ defense during their playoff run with Tom Brady at the helm, earning a two-year, $25 million deal through the 2021 season.
More recently, Pierre-Paul played for the Baltimore Ravens during the 2022 season. The former 15th overall pick signed after the start of the 2022 season, starting 13 of his 14 appearances while posting 26 tackles and three sacks.
However, his play was obviously a decline from his Buccaneers days. According to Pro Football Focus, Pierre-Paul posted a 54.3 defensive grade and 53.9 pass-rushing grade — both average marks. By comparison, Pierre-Paul posted a 69.2 defensive grade and 71.4 pass-rushing grade during the 2020 season with the Buccaneers.
Pierre-Paul played for basically the veteran’s minimum during the 2022 season — $1 million base salary — which likely means he’d be willing to do the same thing for the 2023 season.
Over the course of his 13 seasons in the NFL — including his tenure with the New York Giants — Pierre-Paul has racked up 94.5 sacks, 629 tackles and 167 quarterback hits to go along with two Super Bowl titles, an All-Pro selection and three Pro Bowl appearances.
Jay Glazer Shuts Down Idea of Bucs Starting Kyle Trask
The Buccaneers may soon have a quarterback controversy on their hands.
After starting out the season 3-1, Tampa Bay is currently in the midst of a four-game losing streak that has dropped their record to 3-5. Although the record doesn’t look good, the Buccaneers are still just two games behind the New Orleans Saints — who they hold a win over — for the division lead in the NFC South.
The recent losing streak has prompted some to call for Baker Mayfield to be benched in favor of Kyle Trask, their third-year quarterback who has just nine pass attempts to his name.
However, Fox Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer doesn’t believe it’s time to bench Mayfield. In fact, he argues that there’s a reason Tampa Bay is starting the veteran quarterback over the former second-round draft pick.
“You’re still in it in the [NFC] South,” Glazer said. “So I think if they thought Kyle Trask could give us a better shot to win right now, we’d go over and do that. But I don’t think they believe that. Look, they know what Kyle Trask can do. Right? They see him every day. They know what Baker Mayfield can do.”
As long as the Buccaneers remain in the playoff hunt, it’s safe to assume Mayfield will be the starter. However, if Tampa Bay continues to lose and fall out of the playoff race, don’t be surprised if Trask starts before the season is over.
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