The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jason Pierre-Paul reached a contract compromise that will allow the team to save money while opening the 30-year-old defensive end to free agency a year earlier than scheduled, ESPN reported.
Pierre-Paul is on the non-football injury list as he recovers from a serious neck injury sustained in a car accident in May, and ESPN said there are “varying opinions” about if and when he will be able to play again.
The new deal calls for the elimination of the final year of his previous deal (2020), which will make Pierre-Paul a free agent in March. He believes he will be able to play in 2020, per ESPN.
In exchange, Pierre-Paul agreed to drop his salary this season from $13.65 million to $10.5 million. The Bucs were not required to pay his full salary while he was on the injured list.
ESPN said the move will free $4.4 million in salary cap for the cap-strapped Buccaneers.
Pierre-Paul began his career with the New York Giants, who selected him 15th overall in the 2010 NFL Draft. He spent the first seven years of his career with the Giants and was named an All-Pro in 2011.
He moved on to the Buccaneers in 2018. He was cleared last month to do rehab exercises, but no timeline has been set for his return to the field.
Pierre-Paul appeared in all 16 games last year with Tampa Bay, recording 58 tackles and 12.5 sacks. In 127 career games, he has 71 sacks and 491 tackles.