Buccaneers’ Jason Pierre-Paul always wanted to come back to NFL

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in a fierce battle for first place in the NFC South. In an effort to help fortify their defense, the Buccaneers have signed veteran Jason Pierre-Paul.

The pass rusher is returning to Tampa Bay with a strong legacy put in place. However, Pierre-Paul wasn’t ready to hang the cleats up on his NFL career just yet, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

“The opportunity presented itself, and I’m here. I feel good, familiar city I know. Went to school in Tampa, won a Super Bowl in Tampa. Did great things in Tampa,” Pierre-Paul said. “I’m happy to say I’m here now.”

“Not once in my head did I have, ‘I’m not going to play football again.’ If I didn’t play this year, I was going to try next year,” he continued. “It’s a business thing. You get to a certain age, you think you don’t got it anymore. You just have to prove to yourself before anybody else. That’s just the game of football.”

Jason PierrePaul says he never considered that he was done playing football. But two years since his last NFL snap, he’s back with the Bucs. pic.twitter.com/B6i8V0j8bi

— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) December 9, 2025

Pierre-Paul hasn’t played since the 2023 season, where he appeared in just three games. It’s fair to wonder what he brings to the table at this stage of his career. However, the Buccaneers clearly believe Pierre-Paul will be a valuable addition to their defense.

When he suits up, it’ll mark the defensive end’s 15th season in the NFL. Over 182 total games, he has put up 631 tackles, 167 quarterback hits and 94.5 sacks. Furthermore, Pierre-Paul is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion.

At 7-6, Tampa Bay needs to finish strong to secure their spot in the postseason. With Pierre-Paul back in town, the Buccaneers will hope things look like 2021 again.

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