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The Giants have a decision to make on defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul this offseason.

(Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media)

Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul wants to be a "Giant for life." So did Justin Tuck.

Tuck, now in Oakland, could have been, if he was willing to return at the Giants price. Unfortunately, the team that drafted him wanted him back at bargain-basement value.

Tuck wasn't about to settle. The Giants had a fixed number in mind. It just wasn't a number that ever crossed Tuck's mind coming off an 11-sack season. He got $11 million for two years from the Raiders. He said he would have taken $8 million for two years from the Giants, who wouldn't even go there.

The moral of the story is that this is a business. It's almost always about the money. It was about the money with Tuck and will be about the money this offseason when Pierre-Paul hits free agency.

The tough part of this situation will be determining what Pierre-Paul is worth. He was a star-in-the-making in 2011 when he recorded 16.5 sacks, but hasn't come close to replicating that since. His value has diminished greatly.

"He's not that guy right now," said former NFL agent and current salary cap expert Joel Corry. "I just don't see him breaking the bank in free agency."

Injuries ruined the previous two seasons for Pierre-Paul, and this year has been an eye-opening experience. Pierre-Paul is one of the league's best run-stopping 4-3 defensive ends. Pro Football Focus has him as the top-ranked run stuffer (+17.0) by a wide margin.

But Pierre-Paul has been a pedestrian pass rusher (+1.2) and has 7.0 sacks in 13 games despite being relatively healthy. And 3.5 of those sacks came the past two weeks against Jacksonville's struggling young left tackle Luke Joeckel and Tennessee's third-stringer Will Svitek.

Pierre-Paul hasn't shown a wide array of pass-rushing moves. He's still heavily reliant on the bull rush. His power and agility, however, remain impressive.

So what is all this worth for a player that turns 26 next year?

The Ceiling: Mario Williams money

Williams received a six-year, $96 million with $50 million guaranteed from the Bills in 2012. That's $16 million per year. Williams was 27 at the time and coming off an injury that limited him to five games in 2011 with the Texans. The previous two seasons he had 8.5 and 9.0 sacks. Williams was four years removed from his last double-digit sack season when he signed with Buffalo.

Teams would have to consider Pierre-Paul a perennial double-digit sack guy moving forward to get anywhere near that $16 million per year number. They would have to think more years like 2011 are in his future. Pierre-Paul has a lot of work left to do in the final three weeks to make that happen.

"If he can put together a run of sacks towards the end, maybe some team will think they're getting the old JPP and then you pay him a premium," Corry said. "You pay guys who can get to the quarterback a premium, but he's not this now."

The Likely Scenario: Michael Johnson money

Michael Johnson was an excellent run-stuffing defensive end for the Cincinnati Bengals. He had one double-digit sack season under his belt when he hit free agency earlier this year.

Johnson had just turned 27 and received a five-year, $43 million deal ($8.6 million per year) with $23 million guaranteed from Tampa Bay Bucs. This is likely closer to where Pierre-Paul fits in at this point of his career.

"He's having what I call a Michael Johnson-type season, because Michael Johnson in 2013 was a force against the run, a mediocre player as a pass-rusher," Corry said.

Michael Bennett, 28, landed a deal in the same $8 million range with the Seahawks this year as well off 8.5 sacks and solid production against the run. Pierre-Paul's final 2014 production will likely be similar. The only difference is he'll be two years younger.

The $8-10 million range appears the most likely scenario for Pierre-Paul. The $12 million range could be an option if he finishes this season strong, especially some of the top pass-rushers on the market (Pierre-Paul, Washington's Brian Orakpo and Carolina's Greg Hardy) filled with question marks.

No Chance: The franchise tag

The Giants, who don't use the franchise tag, are expected to have somewhere slightly over $20 million to spend this offseason, if they so choose. They're not going to put $15 million of that into Pierre-Paul on the franchise tag.

You can pretty much rule this option out already.

Jordan Raanan may be reached at jraanan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JordanRaanan. Find NJ.com Giants on Facebook.