Jason Pierre-Paul's career with the New York Giants took an unexpected turn during the 2015 offseason.
As the star pass rusher celebrated the 4th of July holiday, he ended up dealing with a career-altering injury, which sidelined him for a while.
Pierre-Paul's incident wasn't career-ending. In fact, he continued playing for years after, despite dealing with a constant setback. He even continued to produce at a high level throughout his post-Giants era.
Pierre-Paul didn't play at all during the 2024 NFL season. When he suited up for the New Orleans Saints in 2023, he appeared in just one game. While it might be assumed his playing days are in the rearview, the veteran recently revealed that he's still training and waiting on a potential comeback.
"I can still do it," Pierre-Paul told ESPN recently.
If Pierre-Paul can make it back to the New York Giants for a second stint, he would be thrilled.
"I think that'll be dope. Tremendous," he added. "To go back somewhere where my career started ... the fans know me and know the type of player that I am. I'll always be that type of player and just give 'em everything I got, which I know it'll be more than enough."
Coming out of South Florida in 2010, Pierre-Paul was drafted by the Giants with the 15th overall pick in the first round. In the five years leading up to the incident, Pierre-Paul accounted for 285 tackles, 73 hits on the quarterback, and 42 sacks.
When he returned to the field in 2015, Pierre-Paul appeared in just eight games. He added one sack and 26 tackles to his resume. For the final two years of his run with the Giants, Pierre-Paul combined 121 tackles, landed 29 hits on the QB, and collected 15.5 sacks.
In 2018, Pierre-Paul was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He spent four seasons there, registering 171 tackles and 33 sacks. Since his run in Tampa, he had short stints with the Baltimore Ravens, New Orleans Saints, and the Miami Dolphins.
It's unclear if Pierre-Paul will get a chance to suit up again at 36 years old after spending the last season off the field, but the veteran defensive lineman is confident he can get back out there and produce at a high level. He hopes the Giants see that and bring him in to finish his career there.
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