This Labor Day is vital for the New York Giants and Jason Pierre-Paul, as the sides will finally meet face-to-face.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport and NFL Media's Albert Breer reported JPP is in New York and received a physical on his hand, which didn't have a broken bone. Pierre-Paul is expected to play with a cast, according to Breer and Rapoport.
Big Blue examined his hand for the first time since the pass-rusher had a finger amputated following an Independence Day weekend fireworks accident. The inspection might spill into Tuesday.
The pre-Week 1 meeting has been anticipated for the past fortnight. Pierre-Paul will sit down with coach Tom Coughlin, GM Jerry Reese and owner John Mara.
The Giants' examination is vital to decide where the sides go from here. As soon as JPP signs the tender, he'd be under contract and subject to being placed on the non-football injury list that could lead to him not being paid for the first six weeks of the season, which is among the reasons he hasn't signed his tag and has stayed away from the team until this late date.
It sounds as though JPP believes he's finally healthy and in shape enough that he'll pass a physical and wouldn't risk being shuttered early in the season if he signs the tender.
Assimilating their best pass rusher into a new defense should be the least of Big Blue's worries. Hopefully the Giants are pleased enough with the nine-fingered man's condition and can start working him back into the lineup early in the 2015 season.
