Jason Pierre-Paul, the last defensive link to the Giants' most recent Super Bowl championship team, has been traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday.
The defensive end was swapped for Tampa Bay's third-round pick in the upcoming draft, and the two teams also will exchange fourth-round picks.
ESPN's Adam Schefter was first to report the deal.
The trade is yet another step toward a new philosophy for the Giants with general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur redesigning the entire roster.
"We appreciate everything Jason has done for the Giants," Gettleman said in the Giants' announcement of the trade. "He was a fine player for us, and he helped our franchise win Super Bowl XLVI. We wish him well in the future."
Pierre-Paul signed a four-year contract last offseason under the previous regime, but he had a less-than-stellar first season under the new deal and it was unclear where he would fit into the team's 3-4 scheme in 2018.
"Thank you to the Giants for the eight years I spent there," Pierre-Paul told NFL Network's Kim Jones. "They're making changes; I understand that. Thank you to fans that supported me, and thanks for the great Super Bowl run that we had."
The move has little impact on the salary cap for this season, saving the Giants about $2.5 million. But it takes Pierre-Paul off their books for 2019 and 2020 when his cap hit was due to be $19.5 million and $17.5 million.
Replacing Pierre-Paul on the field in 2018 is a little fuzzy since it was unclear what role he would have had in the new scheme under defensive coordinator James Bettcher. The Giants have added two players from the Cardinals, Bettcher's former team, over the past week: linebacker Kareem Martin and defensive end Josh Mauro. They also re-signed defensive end Kerry Wynn to a one-year deal, making it likely he will be a backup player.
The move also opens the possibility that the Giants could select pass-rusher Bradley Chubb from N.C. State at the top of the first round in April or add another rookie who will fit the scheme in the draft. With the trade, the Giants now hold four of the first 69 picks in the draft (Nos. 2, 34, 66 and 69) to go with the 108th overall pick in the fourth round and the 139th in the fifth. They traded their sixth-round pick as part of the deal to acquire LB Alec Ogletree.
Pierre-Paul was drafted in 2010 as a raw athletic freak, having played organized football for just a few years and only one season at the University of South Florida. He was taken with the 15th pick overall, and by his second NFL season he appeared to be blossoming into one of the league's top defenders. He had 16.5 sacks in 2011 and was a big part of the Super Bowl XLVI championship.
His production, however, was slowed over time by a series of injuries and mishaps. He had back surgery in the summer of 2013, lost parts of his right hand in a fireworks accident on July 4, 2015, and missed the final four games of 2016 with a sports hernia. After 2011, he had just one season with double-digit sacks _ 12.5 in 2014 _ and last season he finished with 8.5 after playing all 16 games in the season for the first time since 2014.
Pierre-Paul's departure leaves the Giants without any players on their current rosters who were drafted prior to 2014 and just one player _ Odell Beckham Jr. _ drafted prior to 2015.
