Giants Trade Jason Pierre-Paul To Buccaneers
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- What the Giants end up doing with the No. 2 pick in the draft now is anyone's guess.
Long figured to be in the market for their next franchise quarterback, the Giants may look elsewhere now that they have traded defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
New York flipped Pierre-Paul to Tampa for a third-round pick in the 2018 draft. The teams also swapped fourth-rounders, the Giants announced Thursday.
"We appreciate everything Jason has done for the Giants," new general manager Dave Gettleman said. "He was a fine player for us."
The Giants figured to have their eyes on any of the big three quarterbacks in April's draft -- USC's Sam Darnold, UCLA's Josh Rosen or Wyoming's Josh Allen. However, the trade may change their focus to standout North Carolina State defensive end Bradley Chubb. It also could allow them to trade out of the No. 2 spot, amass a handful of future picks in the process, and draft Chubb later.
Big Blue is also reportedly interested in Penn State star running back Saquon Barkley.
Pierre-Paul, a first-round pick out of South Florida back in 2010, has 58 sacks and 308 tackles in eight NFL seasons, all with the Giants. However, once on the path to becoming one of the best ends in the league, Pierre-Paul's career was derailed for a time following a shocking July 4 fireworks accident back in 2015 that resulted in him having his right index finger amputated.
He missed the first eight games that season and has played in 36 over the last three, recording 16 sacks.
Signed through the 2020 season, Pierre-Paul has played in 111 regular-season games with 85 starts. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2011 and '12 and All Pro in 2011, when he had a career-high 16.5 sacks, the fourth-highest total in Giants history.
Pierre-Paul has also forced 13 fumbles and recovered seven, including one he returned for a touchdown. He intercepted two passes, returning each for a score.
Since hiring Gettleman as GM and Pat Shurmur as head coach, following a dreadful 3-13 season, the Giants have admittedly warmed to the idea of veteran Eli Manning remaining the team's franchise quarterback. Manning, 37, has two years and $45 million left on his contract. His presumptive backup at this point is second-year Davis Webb.
The Giants are expected to draft a quarterback next month, but who and in what round is suddenly hard to predict.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)