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Practically the entire Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization and fanbase have held its collective breath over the past few days as both parties awaited an update on Jason Pierre-Paul’s neck.
Well, the wait is now over - for the most part.
According to Ian Rappaport of the NFL Network, Pierre-Paul has decided to forego surgery on his fractured vertebra.
After receiving several opinions on his fractured vertebra, #Bucs pass-rusher Jason Pierre-Paul is proceeding with the non-surgical option, sources say. As coach Bruce Arians said publicly, the hope is he plays during the 2019 season. But no surgery is planned at this point.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 10, 2019
This remains to be seen as whether it’s good news, bad news, or a combination of both. One thing is for sure, however, and that is the franchise’s desire to see JPP on the field as soon as possible.
Pierre-Paul led the Bucs with 12.5 sacks in 2018. While it’s not uncommon for him to reach double-digit sacks, it was the opposite for the Bucs, who hadn’t seen one of their own eclipse the mark since 2005.
But the question still remains: how much time will JPP actually miss?
We won’t know that answer until later on. Until then, keep your fingers crossed.