With all 32 offseason programs now open, the players most likely to make news are the players who aren’t there. For players who have received the franchise tag and who have not yet accepted it, their absence isn’t surprising. But it’s still worth mentioning.
In New York, Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul hasn’t signed the franchise tag, so he’s not under contract and won’t be participating in the offseason program, as noted by Jordan Ranaan of NJ.com.
Pierre-Paul, per Ranaan, will continue to work out on his own. Which entails some risk; if he suffers a serious injury while doing his own thing, the Giants would immediately rescind the tag, and JPP would be SOL. If he signs the tender and shows up for offseason workouts, that same fluke injury would result in his full salary of $14.8 million being paid.
There’s a middle ground that a player can utilize. An unsigned player subject to the franchise tag may attend the offseason program, subject to the understanding that he’d receive his full pay if he suffers a season-ending injury. Most franchise players, however, choose to withhold services by staying away.
That typically results in the franchise-tagged player missing the entire offseason program and then signing (or not signing) a long-term deal just before the July 15 deadline for inking a multi-year contract. At the latest, the franchise-tagged player shows up for Week One, since no one wants to miss those gigantic game checks, which for Pierre-Paul will be $870,588.
