With a response seemingly taken right from the breakup handbook, Baltimore Ravens pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul insisted Tuesday he holds no ill will against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he does want them to know what they’re missing when he faces them Thursday night on Prime Video.
"I understand the business side of football, and it is what it is, but I have no hard feelings, no bad blood against Tampa," Pierre-Paul said Tuesday, via the team website’s Clifton Brown. "I was there for four years and did my job there, and now I'm here. I'm just going to go out and show them what they don't have."
The 13-season veteran signed with the Ravens two games into the current season following a four-year run in Tampa Bay. Pierre-Paul has earned three Pro Bowl selections and two Super Bowl titles in his time with the New York Giants and Buccaneers. He was a Pro Bowler in 2020 with 9.5 sacks for the Bucs but fell off in his 2021 campaign, recording just 2.5 sacks and 31 tackles in 12 games.
As a free agent, JPP had a shot with 32 teams, but only the Ravens eventually came calling. He’s aiming to use Thursday’s prime-time setting to convey just how much he has left.
"I'm going to be showcasing my talent as a Raven, and I'm going to show them why they chose me to be here, and get the job done," Pierre-Paul said. "I'm a great pass rusher, great run stopper. Somebody still believes in me -- so at the end of the day, I've got to showcase my talent."
So far, Pierre-Paul has started all four games he’s played for the Ravens, tallying eight tackles, one sack and three passes defensed.
Back in 2018 in his first game against the Giants after moving on from New York to Tampa, Pierre-Paul posted seven tackles, 1.5 sacks, a tackle for loss and two QB hits. Perhaps a little extra fire for this one might well lead to another big game for JPP.
He believes the timing is right as he continues to settle in with the Baltimore defense.
"I [came] here and didn't have a training camp or anything," Pierre-Paul said. "It was like a preseason to me. But I'm ready to go. I'm fired up and ready to go now. My body is feeling good, and this is how it's going to be for the rest of this year."
Right now the Bucs are reeling, having lost two in a row and four of five. Pierre-Paul awaits, insisting there is no bad blood but determined to remind them of the defender they didn’t bring back.