Jason Pierre-Paul finally gets 4-year blockbuster deal he’s been after with Giants

Jason Pierre-Paul finally got the long-term deal he’s been after for the past three seasons. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Friday that Pierre-Paul received a four-year, $62 million extension from the New York Giants that can be worth as much as $66 million.

“This is where I wanted to be,” Pierre-Paul said. “I couldn’t imagine me being anywhere else. I’m back for four years and I’m ready to get after it.

“It means a lot to me, because I started here, and obviously I want to finish here. I’ve seen a lot of guys come and go, especially in my (draft) class. I’m the only one left in my class here. It means a lot. We won a Super Bowl here, and I’m looking forward to putting a fifth trophy in the case.”

When the news that Pierre-Paul and the Giants had agreed on terms was first reported by Rapoport, Pierre-Paul denied that he was signing anything:

After Rapoport confirmed the numbers of the deal, Pierre-Paul tweeted that he indeed finally signed:

With 50 career sacks in seven seasons, Pierre-Paul has become the face of New York’s defense, even with superstars Olivier Vernon, Damon Harrison and Janoris Jenkins entering the mix last season. After signing those three guys to big deals last season, the Giants locked up Pierre-Paul on a long-term contract.

It’s been nearly two years since Pierre-Paul’s notorious fireworks accident and corresponding finger amputation, but the defensive end has battled his way back to pre-injury form. With seven sacks, three forced fumbles, and eight pass deflections in only 12 games last season, it’s safe to say the 28-year-old still “has it,” so to speak. Retaining Pierre-Paul would maintain continuity on one of the NFL’s most dominant defensive lines.

With a healthy Pierre-Paul, the 2016 Giants improved from 30th to 14th in team sacks. More impressively, New York’s scoring D improved from 30th to second in the entire league over the course of just one season. The Giants did this despite playing in one of the NFL’s strongest divisions in the 2016 season, in which Dallas and Washington seemed to get involved in shootouts on a near-weekly basis. The Giants, of course, handed the Cowboys two of their three regular season losses this past year.

Bringing JPP back is huge for the Giants as the team looks to make a serious playoff push in 2017. The team is heavily invested along its defensive line with Pierre-Paul joining Vernon as the two defensive ends at the top of the NFL in guaranteed money after the former was given $40 million guaranteed Friday.