Jason Pierre-Paul Fractures Neck, May Miss All of 2019

Last week defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, suffered a fractured neck that could potentially keep him sidelined for the entire 2019 NFL season league sources have said.

The defensive end, who is 30, will likely require surgery said one of the sources, Pierre-Paul will visit neck specialists this week to receive their opinions and hope is part of the 2019 season can be saved.

Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht through a statement released on Tuesday said the Buccaneers medical team was performing a thorough evaluation in Tampa.

The automobile accident occurred last Thursday morning in south Florida’s Broward County. Tampa’s Pierre-Paul sought out medical attention in one of the local hospitals and was released shortly thereafter.

Pierre-Paul has not taken part in any voluntary workouts the Buccaneers have had during the offseason.

Tampa Bay did not prioritize the defensive line during the recent NFL draft, in part because they have counted on Pierre-Paul to carry a bulk of the load considering last season the defensive end had 12.5 quarterback sacks.

Pierre-Paul, prior to playing with Tampa Bay last season, was a first round draft pick in 2010 of the New York Giants. In 2011, his 16.5 sacks helped the Giants reach and eventually win the Super Bowl.

In 2015, an accident on the Fourth of July involving fireworks cost Pierre-Paul the index finger of his right hand and parts of other fingers, but he recovered and returned to form.

Also not present for the offseason program’s first month was Gerald McCoy, Tampa Bay’s defensive tackle, because of concerns over his price tag of $13 million and the fact the team has space under the salary cap of less than $2 million.

Speculation was that the Buccaneers were trying to move McCoy; with many feeling the relationship between team and player was beyond repair, yet now with the Pierre-Paul injury the team may have to make amends.