Even with the NFL roster deadline in the rear-view mirror, the New England Patriots are not done fine-tuning their roster. On Friday, they continued doing that in surprising fashion.
Starting safety Jabrill Peppers has been released by the team in a move first reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Peppers, 29, entered the NFL as a first-round draft pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2017. He was traded to the New York Giants two years later, and eventually found his way to New England as a free agent in 2022.
Coming off a torn ACL at the time, Peppers first joined the club on a one-year, $2 million deal. That contract was the first step in what would become a solid tenure with his new club: over the next three years, Peppers started 26 of his 38 games as a jack of all trades in the Patriots’ defensive backfield. Along the way, he registered 178 tackles, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and recoveries each, and one sack.
Peppers also signed contract extensions with the team in 2023 and 2024. The last of those deals added three years and $25 million to his previous pact, and would have kept him around through the 2027 season.
The Patriots, who hired head coach Mike Vrabel and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams earlier this year, had different plans. Despite Peppers spending virtually all of training camp with the starters, he has now been let go.
With Peppers gone, the Patriots’ safety group consists of Jaylinn Hawkins, Craig Woodson, Kyle Dugger and Dell Pettus as well as core special teamer Brenden Schooler.
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