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When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted defensive end Logan Hall, it didn’t mean the end for linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul.
That apparently changed when the Bucs apparently announced Hall will take J.P.P.’s jersey number 90, during the NFL Draft on Friday, April 29, according to The Athletic’s Greg Auman. Just one problem — the Bucs took down the picture of Hall wearing No. 90 from its Twitter feed shortly after. As JoeBucsFan.com noted, the number photoshopped image could have been a mistake by the Bucs social media team.
Pierre-Paul, 33, a two-time Super Bowl champion, became a free agent this offseason and could move on but could still sign with the Bucs. He missed five games in 2021 due to injuries, and he played injured the rest of the time.
J.P.P. shared a video of himself on April 23 flying out of Tampa and saying goodbye but not definitely saying whether or not he will play for the Bucs again. It’s not the first time J.P.P. has posted a “bizarre” video before according to JoeBucsFan.com.
“We ain’t in Tampa no mo. Bye bye Tampa! We out of this hole for sure,” J.P.P. said in the video via JoeBucsFan.com.
J.P.P. made $12.8 million in 2021 with the Bucs according to Over The Cap. He could command $10 million annually in free agency according to Spot Trac.
Bucs free agent defensive end Ndamukong Suh seemed like the most likely salary cap casualty of the Hall pick. Both head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht said that isn’t the case for Suh.
“No, we’re not shutting the door on that. There’s a lot of injuries that happen throughout the year, and we’re not putting in all of the stock in our guys that we have right now,” Licht told the media.
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J.P.P. Faced Injury-Ravaged Season in 2021
Injuries mounted for the Bucs defense in 2021 but particularly for Pierre-Paul. He dealt with a broken finger and a shoulder injury, which kept him up at night.
“I’m barely getting any sleep with this shoulder injury,” Pierre-Paul tweeted in November 2021. “I’ve had my share of injuries, but this one by far the worst of them all. I already broke my promise to myself, so I’m gonna thug it out until I can’t!”
Pierre-Paul played in 12 games and tallied 31 tackles, 2.5 sacks, four pass deflections, and one forced fumble. He also appeared in both playoff games and garnered a couple of tackles, a half sack, and a fumble recovery.
His numbers for 2021 marked career lows for tackles, sacks, forced fumbles, and pass deflections when playing 12 or more games. He didn’t practice much during the final stretch of the season to manage the shoulder injury.
J.P.P. had shoulder surgery in February according to Auman.
Hall Adds to Bucs Pass Rush
Hall’s size at 6-foot-6 and 285 pounds gives the Bucs a big, athletic force up front.
“[He’s] explosive off the football. Very good three technique. Long frame [and] long arms. Very strong,” Bowles said of Hall. “Love the way he plays the game and gets after it. He makes a bunch of plays, but when the ball’s away from him, he chases the football. Everything we want in a Buc.”
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