Buccaneers OLB Jason Pierre-Paul Undergoes Surgery
Keeping fans updated via his Instagram story, Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul appears to have finally undergone surgery on his shoulder following a season-long, nagging torn rotator cuff.
In a captioned image, Pierre-Paul expressed his longing to return to play at the top of his game following the procedure, saying the surgery "ain't s---."
"Watch me kill s--- when I get back!!" Pierre-Paul continued. "I'm saying it now, I told you so!!"
In a follow-up video, Pierre-Paul began to stretch out his shoulder with a doctor by his side, instructing him to only move his arm to a certain extent as his shoulder continued to drain from the operation.
Pierre-Paul shared on Twitter during the 2021 season that the torn rotator cuff was the worst injury that he's ever dealt with, and yet, he only missed five games during the campaign as a result of the wound, also dealing with a fractured finger earlier in the year. He decided to play through the injury and took two weeks off in the first quarter of the season to rest up.
His production, perhaps as expected, took a dive compared to years past, however, as Pierre-Paul finished the season with 31 tackles, 2.5 sacks, three tackles for loss and one forced fumble. The sack count was Pierre-Paul's lowest since 2015, when he missed half of the season with the New York Giants.
Pierre-Paul's contract with the Buccaneers expires in March. So long as recovery from surgery goes smoothly, the Bucs could look to bring the 33-year-old edge rusher back on an inexpensive deal, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see Pierre-Paul test the market.
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