According to Rick Stroud, the Buccaneers have placed DE Jason Pierre-Paul on the reserve non-football injury list.
The move means Pierre-Paul will be ineligible to play the first six games of the season as he continues to recover from a neck injury suffered in a car accident this offseason.
Pierre-Paul can return for the final 10 games of the season and Tampa Bay will have three weeks to either activate the veteran pass rusher or declare him out for the rest of the season.
Buccaneers HC Bruce Arians previously told Stroud he doesn’t expect Pierre-Paul to return until sometime in October.
“I would think so, just to be safe and not rush it,” Arians said. “And knowing him, he’s one of those fast healers, so. I hate to put a time limit on it, but the earlier the better. As long as he’s healthy.”
Pierre-Paul suffered a fractured vertebra after he was involved in a car accident. After receiving several opinions on his fractured vertebra, Pierre-Paul decided to not undergo surgery, which left him with a five- or six-month timetable.
Pierre-Paul, 30, is a former first-round pick of the Giants back in 2010. He played out his rookie contract with New York before agreeing to a four-year, $62 million contract that includes $40 million guaranteed.
The Giants later traded Pierre-Paul to the Buccaneers last year for third- and fourth-round picks.
Pierre-Paul stands to make base salaries of $13,250,000 (2019) and $11,250,000 (2020) over the remainder of the contract.
In 2018, Pierre-Paul appeared in 16 games for the Buccaneers and recorded 58 tackles, 12.5 sacks, a forced fumble and two pass defenses.
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