The Giants will reportedly let Jason Pierre-Paul test the free agent market. Pierre-Paul missed much of last season after his fireworks mishap, and the team probably isn't sure exactly what the one-time elite pass rusher's value is. Perhaps they'll let the market establish his price and then try to retain him.
Certainly improving their pass rush one way or another will be crucial for the team this offseason. This is a defense that used to be among the league's best in that regard, helping it win a pair of recent Super Bowls. But those days are gone.
From 2007 (first of those Super Bowls) through 2011 (second), New York ranked 6th or better in sacks four times in five years. Contrast that with the last four years, where they've ranked 22nd or worse in three of four seasons. The Giants missed the playoffs in all four of those year and finished below .500 in all but one of them. Not hard to see where they need to improve this offseason.
New York's pass rush since 2007 is shown below; top-1o finishes are in bold.
| GIANTS PASS RUSH, 2007-2015 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
| Sacks | 53 | 42 | 32 | 46 | 48 | 33 | 34 | 47 | 23 |
| Rank | 1st | 6th | 18th | 5th | 3rd | 22nd | 25th | 4th | 30th |
--Andy Richardson
