Jason Pierre-Paul told reporters Tuesday that his hand is “perfectly fine” now and that he won’t be needing the extra protection a club provides in 2016.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported Pierre-Paul as saying “I’m not going to wear a club next year. My hand is perfectly fine.” James Kratch of NJ Advanced Media noted the defensive end also saying “that no one should ask the question any more.”
Clearly, he’s ready to move on after a harrowing series of events that started when a 4th of July firework exploded in his hand. He’s since experienced multiple surgeries and has lost a couple of digits in the process.
Despite all that, he expects to be fully ready for the team’s offseason activities.
After a successful comeback last year in which he played eight games, Pierre-Paul signed a one-year prove-it deal with the Giants worth up to $10.5 million, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He told reporters he actually took less money to stay in New York, and it’s clear the two sides share loyalty towards one another.
If Pierre-Paul can get back to his dominant ways, then he’ll be in line for a big payday next year. Based on everything we’ve heard this offseason, he’s fully committed to doing just that.
In his return to action last season, he managed just one sack and 21 tackles. However, he did show the same quickness and power that made him into a league superstar, meaning it shouldn’t be long before he’s making the kind of impact he showed throughout most of his career.