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With the Giants doctors checking out defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul yesterday, there was much speculation about the timeline for his possible return.

There’s now a sense of what they’re looking at, as Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports reports the two sides are “on the verge of signing a contract,” with hopes of a return in Week 10 against the Patriots.

Details of the contract are still being worked out, and will be crucial. The Giants used the franchise tag on Pierre-Paul this offseason, but he didn’t sign it before blowing off a finger in a fireworks accident.

The reported near-deal will run through the end of this season, for something less than the $870,000 a week he was scheduled to make under the tag. There will also be incentives for him to make up some of the lost money.

Once he signs, he can begin working with the team’s training staff, to see how close he is to returning to practice. The hope “inside the building” is that he can work on conditioning this week, practice next week and then get ready to play the Patriots on Nov. 15.

Of course, there are a lot of variables to be worked out between now and then, and it will be interesting to see how close he actually is when he begins to work.