Buccaneers' Jason Pierre-Paul undergoes knee surgery

Tampa Bay Buccaneers star pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul earned his second Super Bowl ring earlier this month via an impressive win over the Kansas City Chiefs. 

It appears the three-time Pro Bowler was less than 100% while achieving that feat. 

As Jenna Laine reported for ESPN, Pierre-Paul confirmed via his Instagram Story that he was set to undergo a procedure on his left knee starting at 11:00 a.m. ET Wednesday. 

The 32-year-old was routinely on the Tampa Bay injury list throughout the past campaign because of a knee problem but didn't miss a game. Per ESPN stats, Pierre-Paul led the Buccaneers with 9.5 sacks during the regular season and then recorded two quarterback takedowns in the NFC Championship victory over the Green Bay Packers. 

According to Spotrac, Pierre-Paul carries a salary-cap hit of $12.5 million for 2021, the final year on his current contract. 

Laine added that Pierre-Paul underwent arthroscopic surgery on the same knee to clean up cartilage last July. 

Such postseason surgeries are routine among NFL players. Shortly after seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady was seen tossing the Vince Lombardi Trophy from boat to boat, reports surfaced that he required "a cleanup" of his left knee.