A familiar face will be on the field for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their crucial NFC South game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
The Buccaneers promoted Jason Pierre-Paul from the practice squad on Saturday and he is expected to make his 2025 debut on Sunday. The former All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowl pass rusher has not played in an NFL game since the 2023 season.
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Pierre-Paul, 36, returned in early December and joined Tampa Bay’s practice squad. Now, he’ll look to improve the team’s pass rush in one of the Buccaneers’ biggest games of the season.
The Buccaneers and Panthers tied the NFC South 7-7 on Sunday. The winner will claim the NFC South title and the division’s lone playoff spot. They will face off again in Week 18.
Jason Pierre-Paul has been wearing street clothes on game days since rejoining the Buccaneers, but he will be in action on Sunday against Bryce Young and the Panthers.
(“Icon Sportswire” via Getty Images)
Can 36-year-old Pierre-Paul help the Buccaneers?
In his prime, Pierre-Paul was one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. In 2011, he was named to the New York Giants first team with 16.5 sacks. He joined the Buccaneers in 2018 and played four seasons in Tampa Bay. He made the Pro Bowl in 2020 and was the backbone of a defense that helped the Buccaneers win their second Super Bowl title that season.
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At 36 years old and after nearly two seasons away from football, it’s unclear how much he has left in the tank. He tweeted in September that he was “in the best shape of my life both physically and mentally” while also posting videos of himself working out.
The Buccaneers are confident enough in his abilities to promote him to the active roster as the season comes to a close.