Jason Andrew Pierre-Paul (born January 1, 1989) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
outside linebacker for the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He played
college football at
South Florida and was drafted by the
New York Giants in the first round of the
2010 NFL Draft. With the Giants, Pierre-Paul made two
Pro Bowls, was first-team
All-Pro
All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...
and won
Super Bowl XLVI over the
New England Patriots. With the
Buccaneers
Buccaneers were a kind of privateers or free sailors particular to the Caribbean Sea during the 17th and 18th centuries. First established on northern Hispaniola as early as 1625, their heyday was from the Restoration in 1660 until about 1688 ...
, Pierre-Paul made his third Pro Bowl and won
Super Bowl LV.
Early life
Pierre-Paul was born in
Deerfield Beach, Florida
Deerfield Beach is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States, just south of the Palm Beach County line. The city is named for the numerous deer that once roamed the area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 86,859. It is a principal ...
to
Haitian immigrants Jean and Marie, who arrived in the United States in 1983. At
Deerfield Beach High School
Deerfield Beach High School (DBHS) is a public high school in Deerfield Beach, Florida. It is part of the Broward School District and has an enrollment of approximately 2,400.
The school features the IB Middle Years Programme or Pre-IB, which ...
, Pierre-Paul lettered in
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
for four years. After a serious leg injury while playing basketball, he took up
football his junior year.
College career
Pierre-Paul tallied 51 tackles and 19 tackles for a loss in his freshman year at
College of the Canyons
College of the Canyons (COC) is a public community college in Santa Clarita, California. It comprises the Santa Clarita Community College District. The college is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and has campus loca ...
(California). He also had 14 sacks and earned First-team All-WSC and All-America honors. In 2008, Pierre-Paul played at
Fort Scott Community College
Fort Scott Community College is a community college in Fort Scott, Kansas, United States. It has satellite buildings in other cities in Crawford County, including Pittsburg and Frontenac, along with sites in Paola and at the Hillsdale Learning ...
(Kansas), where his 70 tackles, 10.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries earned him First-team Little All-American honors.
Pierre-Paul transferred to the
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF i ...
in
Tampa, Florida
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
. In 2009, he played thirteen games for the Bulls with seven starts and totaled 45 tackles (16.5 for losses), 6.5 sacks, one interception (returned 18 yards for a touchdown), broke up three passes, and forced two fumbles. He was named First-team All-America by ''Pro Football Weekly'' for his efforts, and was also first-team All Big East. He earned the nickname Haitian Sensation. In the fourth week of the season, he was named the Defensive Lineman Performer of the Week in the College Performance Awards. After his junior year, he decided to forgo his senior season and enter the
2010 NFL Draft.
Professional career
Pre-draft
New York Giants
2010 season
Pierre-Paul was drafted by the
New York Giants in the first round with the 15th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. On July 31, 2010, Pierre-Paul and the Giants agreed to a five-year, $20.05 million deal with $11.629 million guaranteed. He made his NFL debut on September 12, 2010, in the New York Giants' season opener, and recorded two tackles. He finished the season playing a total of 16 games, totaling 24 solo tackles and recording 4.5 sacks. He was named to 2010 All-NFL Draft Team by Pro Football Rosters.
2011 season
![Jason Pierre-Paul at SB46 celebration](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Jason_Pierre-Paul_at_SB46_celebration.jpg)
With injuries plaguing the Giants' starting defensive ends,
Osi Umenyiora
Ositadimma "Osi" Umenyiora (born November 16, 1981) is a former American football defensive end. He played college football for Troy University and was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft. Umenyiora was a ...
and
Justin Tuck
Justin Lee Tuck (born March 29, 1983) is a former American football defensive end. He played college football at Notre Dame, and was drafted by the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL) in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft, ...
, Pierre-Paul received a significant amount of playing time, including 12 starts.
Pierre-Paul recorded 65 tackles, 16.5 sacks, one safety, and two forced fumbles during the 2011 season. On December 11, 2011, after already compiling two sacks (one for a safety) and a forced fumble, Pierre-Paul blocked
Dan Bailey's 47-yard
field goal attempt in the final seconds of the Giants' game against the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
, and the Giants won 37–34. Pierre-Paul became the first player in NFL history to record a sack, forced fumble, and blocked field goal in the same game. On December 13, 2011, he was named the
NFC Defensive Player of the Week. Two games later, Pierre-Paul earned another NFC Defensive Player of the Week, which came for his game against the
New York Jets. On December 27, 2011, it was announced that Pierre-Paul was voted to his first Pro Bowl, despite not being on the ballot.
Pierre-Paul played a big role in the Giants' playoff run where they competed against the
New England Patriots in
Super Bowl XLVI and won by a score of 21–17. He was ranked 24th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2012.
2012 season
![2012 Packers vs Giants - Jason Pierre-Paul](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/2012_Packers_vs_Giants_-_Jason_Pierre-Paul.jpg)
On October 28, 2012, against the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
in Week 8, Pierre-Paul caught his first career interception and returned it for a touchdown. He finished the 2012 season with 6.5 sacks and 43 total tackles. He was named to the Pro Bowl. He was ranked 55th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2013.
2013 season
On June 3, 2013, Pierre-Paul underwent back surgery to remove a herniated disc. He returned for Week 1 for the game against
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
and recorded a solitary sack. Against the
Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the thi ...
, he intercepted a pass by
Scott Tolzien
Scott Jeffery Tolzien (born September 4, 1987) is a former American football quarterback and coach who is the quarterbacks coach for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Wisconsin. He was signed ...
, which he returned for a touchdown in the 27–13 victory. For his game against the Packers, Pierre-Paul earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week.
2014 season
Pierre-Paul finished the season with 12.5 sacks, 77 tackles, three forced fumbles, and six passes defended.
2015 season
On March 3, 2015, the
New York Giants placed the
franchise tag
In the National Football League (NFL), the franchise tag is a designation a team may apply to a player scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. The tag binds the player to the team for one year if certain conditions are met. Each team has on ...
on Pierre-Paul. Reports indicated that the tag was non-exclusive, which meant that Pierre-Paul could negotiate with other teams, and the Giants had the right to match any offer or receive two first-round picks as compensation. On July 4, 2015, Pierre-Paul sustained a serious hand injury in a fireworks accident at his home after detonating a firework in his hand, blowing off a significant portion of his finger. Four days later he had his right index finger amputated. He signed a one-year deal with the team on October 27. He was placed on the Giants' active roster on November 7. Pierre-Paul lost substantial weight in the hospital following the injury and had to play the season with a "monstrous padded club" on his injured hand, both of which adversely affected his play.
2016 season
![Jason Pierre-Paul's injured hand (51684900052) (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Jason_Pierre-Paul%27s_injured_hand_%2851684900052%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
On March 8, 2016, Pierre-Paul turned down an offer from the
Arizona Cardinals to remain with the New York Giants. Before the 2016 season, Pierre-Paul underwent further surgery on his hand which allowed him to wear a glove instead of the cumbersome club which he wore in 2015. In Week 12, he registered three sacks including a fumble that he returned 43 yards for his third career touchdown against the
Browns in a 27–13 win. Pierre-Paul was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 12. On December 7, 2016, he underwent surgery for a sports hernia and was expected to be out six weeks but ended up missing the rest of the season due to the Giants losing in the Wild Card Round of the
2016–17 NFL playoffs to the
Green Bay Packers. Without Pierre-Paul and injured cornerback
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
Dominique Reshard Rodgers-Cromartie (born April 7, 1986) is a former American football cornerback who played 11 years in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Tennessee State University, and was drafted by the Arizona ...
, the Giants allowed a season-high 38 points en route to a 38–13 loss.
2017 season
On February 27, 2017, the Giants placed the franchise tag on Pierre-Paul for the second time. On March 17, 2017, Pierre-Paul signed a four-year, $62 million contract with the Giants with $40 million guaranteed. Overall, Pierre-Paul finished the 2017 season with 68 total tackles, 8.5 sacks, five passes defended and two forced fumbles.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2018 season
On March 22, 2018, the Giants traded Pierre-Paul to the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
for a third round pick (
B. J. Hill
Benjamin Joseph Hill (born May 17, 1973) is an American college basketball coach and former head men's basketball coach at the University of Northern Colorado. He began coaching the Bears in 2010–11, when he guided them to the school's first-ev ...
) in the
2018 NFL Draft and a swap of fourth round picks. He started all 16 games, recording 58 combined tackles and a team-leading 12.5 sacks. He was ranked 65th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2019
The NFL Top 100 Players of 2019 was the ninth season in the series. It premiered on July 22, 2019 and the final episode aired on July 31, 2019. It started later in the year, and the show was shown in 10 consecutive days instead. Los Angeles Rams ...
.
2019 season
![Lavonte David](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Lavonte_David.png)
In May 2019, Pierre-Paul was involved in a single-car accident and experienced a neck fracture due to not wearing a seatbelt that put his season in jeopardy. However, he was cleared for football activities in late August and was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list to start the season. He was activated off NFI on October 26, 2019, prior to Week 8.
In Week 12 against the
Atlanta Falcons, Pierre-Paul recorded a strip sack on quarterback
Matt Ryan which was returned by teammate
Ndamukong Suh
Ndamukong Ngwa Suh ( , born January 6, 1987) is an American football defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Nebraska, where he earned All-American honors, and was d ...
for an 11-yard touchdown in the 35–22 win. In Week 16 during a 23–20 loss to the
Houston Texans, Pierre-Paul sacked quarterback
Deshaun Watson
Derrick Deshaun Watson (born September 14, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson, where he led the team to a national championship in 2 ...
three times.
In Week 17 against the Atlanta Falcons, Pierre-Paul sacked Matt Ryan two times, one of which was a strip sack that was recovered by teammate
Devin White
Devin Marcel White (born February 17, 1998) is an American football linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU, and was drafted by the Buccaneers fifth overall in the 2019 N ...
who returned it for a 91-yard touchdown, during the 28–22 overtime loss. Overall, Pierre-Paul finished the 2019 season with 27 total tackles, 8.5 sacks, two passes defended, and two forced fumbles in ten games.
2020 season
On March 17, 2020, Pierre-Paul signed a two-year, $27 million contract extension with the Buccaneers.
In Week 1 against the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
, Pierre-Paul recorded his first sack of the season on
Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees (; born January 15, 1979) is an American former American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the New Orleans Saints for most of his career, Brees i ...
during the 34–23 loss.
In the following week's game against the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
, Pierre-Paul sacked
Teddy Bridgewater
Theodore Edmond Bridgewater Jr. (born November 10, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL).
Born and raised in Miami, Florida, he graduated from Miami Northwestern high school ...
once and recovered a fumble forced by teammate
Antoine Winfield Jr. on Bridgewater during the 31–17 win.
In Week 6 against the
Green Bay Packers, Pierre-Paul recorded 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble during the 38–10 win.
In Week 10 against the Carolina Panthers, Pierre-Paul sacked Teddy Bridgewater once and intercepted a pass thrown by Bridgewater during the 46–23 win. This was Pierre-Paul's first interception since the 2013 season. In Week 11, during a 27–24 loss to the
Los Angeles Rams, Pierre-Paul recorded six total tackles, two pass deflections, and an interception. In Week 15, during a 26–14 win against the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...
, Pierre-Paul record two total tackles as well as strip-sack on
Kirk Cousins
Kirk Daniel Cousins (born August 19, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan State and was drafted by the team then known as the Washington ...
which Pierre-Paul recovered. On December 21, Pierre-Paul was selected to the
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
. This would mark Pierre-Paul's first Pro Bowl selection as a Buccaneer as well as his first selection since
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
.
Pierre-Paul finished the 2020 regular season with 55 total tackles, a team-best 9.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, six pass deflections, and two interceptions.
In the
NFC Championship
The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semi-final National Football League playoffs, playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional Amer ...
against the
Green Bay Packers, Pierre-Paul recorded two sacks on
Aaron Rodgers during the 31–26 win. The Buccaneers would go on to defeat the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The ...
31–9 and win
Super Bowl LV in their own stadium,
Raymond James Stadium
Raymond James Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Tampa, Florida that opened in 1998 and is home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL) and the University of South Florida (USF) Bulls college football program. The s ...
, avenging an earlier loss to the Chiefs in the regular season. Pierre-Paul earned his second Super Bowl title in the win. He was ranked 59th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2021.
2021 season
Pierre-Paul's production would drop considerably in 2021 as he dealt with a nagging torn rotator cuff injury for most of the season, which would require surgery after the season. He missed Weeks 3–4 and 16–18 during the season as well. He finished the regular season with only 2.5 sacks, 31 tackles, and one forced fumble.
Baltimore Ravens
On September 26, 2022, Pierre-Paul signed a one-year deal with the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
.
NFL career statistics
Regular season
Postseason
Buccaneers franchise records
* Most consecutive games with at least 1 sack – 6 (tied with
Simeon Rice)
References
External links
*
Baltimore Ravens bioSouth Florida Bulls bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pierre-Paul, Jason
1989 births
American amputees
American football defensive ends
American sportspeople of Haitian descent
Sportspeople with limb difference
College of the Canyons Cougars football players
Deerfield Beach High School alumni
Fort Scott Greyhounds football players
Living people
National Conference Pro Bowl players
New York Giants players
People from Deerfield Beach, Florida
Players of American football from Florida
South Florida Bulls football players
Sportspeople from Broward County, Florida
Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
Ed Block Courage Award recipients