JPP won't play another down in a Bucs uniform. That's my conclusion and here's why.
We should find out in "late July" whether Pierre Paul is really coming back at some point this year or not. The impression I had and probably many others is that he was opting out of surgery, and he's on the slow road to recovery. But that's perhaps not exactly correct. Rereading this article below, it seems that he may only temporarily be putting off surgery pending this late July re-evaluation.
Sidenote: As the article says below he's supposed to be resting. Yet he puts out on social media that he's driving a car. Well what happens when someone behind you honks their horn? You instinct is to jerk your head around. My diagnosis is that if your head is attached to a broken neck that ain't good.
Anyway, Pierre-Paul's 2020 contract, unlike 2019, has no dead money. He would be owed $12.5 mil (11.5+1 signing bonus) for 2020 at 31 years old having missed a whole season due to a neck injury/surgery. Its highly unlikely the Bucs would be interested in paying that.
So the opting out of surgery could be more of a hail Mary by Pierre Paul who is just hoping that he can show some improvement and thereby save his season and his contract. There is really no harm in putting off surgery for a couple months if having surgery will end your season and your contract. The Bucs can not officially rule him out for the year until this updated exam is examined. But even if he doesn't need surgery, it still may show he will need the entire season to heal.
And I'll bring in my speculative logic once again (much to the chagrin of the High by 9ers). But why do you have this scheduled examination? If he's on the road to recovery then you would have medical appointments and therapy and along the way, but not one specifically important exam. This exam is agreed upon by JPP and the Bucs to make an official diagnosis, and that in all likelihood JPP is done for the season. They only put off this official diagnosis because it was the prudent thing to do, just like they didn't rush to make any official diagnosis for Beckwith.
To summarize my main point. This idea of JPP coming back this season may be more of a pipe dream than we originally thought. I'd say 90% chance he won't play another down in a Buccaneers uniform.
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June 7, 2019 10:08 AM
Buccaneers' Jason Pierre-Paul: October deemed earliest return date
by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Pierre-Paul is not expected to be ready to play until sometime in October at the earliest as a result of the cervical fracture he suffered in a May 2 car accident, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports. "I would think so, just to be safe and not rush it,'' head coach Bruce Arians noted. "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 consulted with specialists in early May and opted to hold off on surgery for the time being, committing to a late-July re-evaluation instead. That examination should reveal whether the fracture has healed through rest, or whether a surgical procedure ultimately will be required. If the latter scenario comes to fruition, Pierre-Paul would be placed on the reserve/non-football injury list and miss the 2019 campaign. A season-long absence on the part of the prolific pass rusher would naturally be detrimental to an already questionable defense, but even more so considering the team lost a key pass rusher when it opted to release Gerald McCoy earlier in the offseason.
