New England Patriots Surprise with Jabrill Peppers Release
In an unexpected move that shakes the defensive, the New England Patriots have released veteran safety Jabrill Peppers, as announced by the team on Friday.
Peppers, who was in his ninth season in the NFL and the fourth with the Patriots, had 4.32 million dollars remaining guaranteed in his contract for this season.
The team finished training camp with six-year veteran Jaylinn Hawkins and 2025 fourth-round pick Craig Woodson as their starting safeties. Peppers, Kyle Dugger, and Dell Pettus follow on the depth chart.
Peppers, 29, was a player appreciated by former coaches Bill Belichick and Jerod Mayo for his physical and impactful playing style, especially against the run, similar to Dugger. His adaptation to coach Mike Vrabel’s scheme was evolving during training camp, starting in the first unit before being surpassed by Hawkins and Woodson in the final weeks.
In the team’s last preseason game on August 21, Peppers started in a game where most of the players who had already secured a place on the roster rested. That was the first sign that his place on the team was not guaranteed.
Peppers, standing at 5 feet 11 inches and weighing 217 pounds, has played in 99 career games (85 starts), with 494 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and 7 interceptions.
