Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul posted an unusually cryptic message on Instagram on Saturday, leaving room for skepticism about his future.
Pierre-Paul captioned the photo “All I did was try my best. 90PC” which might indicate his time in Tampa has come to an end:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8U0FiLAmbB/?utm_source=ig_embed
The 31-year-old is a free agent this Spring, and–given just how prolific Tampa Bay's pass rush was this past season–it is possible the Buccaneers are moving on from Pierre-Paul this offseason.
Pierre-Paul had a fantastic 2019. The former All-Pro miraculously recovered from what was thought to be–at the time–a season-ending injury as a result of a car crash, racking up 8 1/2 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles in 10 games. Pierre-Paul also registered at least two quarterback hits in six of his 10 appearances, further solidifying Tampa Bay's pass rush alongside NFL sack leader Shaquil Barrett.
Unfortunately for Pierre-Paul, Barrett is also an unrestricted free agent this Spring. It is certainly possible the Buccaneers look to sign him to a large extension after this most recent season. Not to mention, the Bucs also face decisions on defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and, perhaps most consequently, quarterback Jameis Winston. Given Pierre-Paul's age, bringing him back might not be high on the list of priorities.
Any number of contenders would love to sign Pierre-Paul on a short-term deal. He has 21 sacks over the course of the last two seasons and is still among the better pass-rushers in the game.
Of course, that is assuming Pierre-Paul's time with the Buccaneers has indeed come to an end.
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