Press Release (3/22/18)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced today the acquisition of two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul as part of a trade with the New York Giants. The Buccaneers surrendered their third-round pick (69th overall) and switched draft positions with the Giants in the fourth round – moving up from 108th to 102nd– of next month’s NFL Draft. The trade is conditional on Pierre-Paul passing a physical.

“Jason is an elite-level edge rusher who will make an immediate impact on our defense,” said Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht. “We are adding a two-time Pro Bowler who is passionate about the game and has established himself as one of the league’s premier defensive ends. Jason is an incredibly hard-working playmaker on the defensive front with a unique skill set that allows him to stay on the field in both rushing and passing situations.”

Pierre Paul (6-5, 275) comes to Tampa Bay after spending his first eight seasons with the Giants (2010-17), starting 85-of-111 regular season games, totaling 423 tackles, 87 for loss, 58.5 sacks, 47 passes defensed, 13 forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries – including a 43-yard fumble returned for a touchdown – and two interceptions, both returned for touchdowns. Pierre-Paul also started all four games in the 2011 postseason for New York, recording 18 tackles, four passes defensed and a half-sack in helping the Giants win Super Bowl XLVI.

Last season, Pierre-Paul led the Giants with 8.5 sacks, the fourth time in his eight seasons that he led the team in sacks. In 2011, Pierre-Paul totaled 16.5 sacks, the fourth-most in a single season in Giants history, en route to earning Pro Bowl and Associated Press first-team All-Pro honors. His 16.5 sacks that season are the fourth-most in a single season in Giants history, while his 86 tackles and 23 tackles for loss each led NFL defensive linemen that season. Pierre-Paul also earned a Pro Bowl berth following the 2012 season, when he led the Giants in sacks (6.5) and scored his first career touchdown, a 28-yard interception return.

Since 2010, Pierre-Paul has three return touchdowns (two interceptions, one fumble recovery), which is tied for the most among all defensive linemen. His 47 passes defensed are tied with J.J. Watt for the most by a defensive lineman in that span. Pierre-Paul’s 423 tackles since entering the league are tied for the second-most by a defensive lineman, while his 87 tackles for loss are fifth among defensive lineman and 12th in the NFL during that time.

In his career, Pierre-Paul has been named NFC Defensive Player of the Week four times, trailing only Hall of Famers Lawrence Taylor (9) and Michael Strahan (5) for the most in Giants history. Pierre-Paul was also named NFC Defensive Player of the Month in December 2011.

Pierre-Paul originally entered the league as a first-round pick (15th overall) of the Giants in the 2010 NFL Draft. A native of Deerfield Beach, Florida, he played collegiately at South Florida, where he earned All-American honors.