The Raiders are moving on from both their Week 1 safety starters from 2024. Marcus Epps is heading to the Patriots, doing so after suffering an ACL tear early in his second Las Vegas season.
New England is giving Epps a one-year deal worth up to $4.4MM, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. While this is considerably less than Epps’ two-year, $12MM Raiders pact from 2023, Epps’ knee injury explains that gap.
Earning a starting job out of training camp in 2022 with the Eagles, Epps started the entire season alongside C.J. Gardner-Johnson. The Raiders took interest and handed out that $6MM-per-year deal. The Raiders snapped a 19-year drought of finishing in the bottom half of the NFL in scoring defense that year, and Epps started all 17 games for the Silver and Black. He went down in Week 3 of last season, however, hurting his value ahead of a second trip to free agency.
Epps is expected to be ready for training camp where he will compete for playing time in the Patriots’ crowded safety room. Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers opened the 2024 season atop the depth chart, but injuries limited them to 19 combined games. Backups Jaylinn Hawkins and Marte Mapu combined for another 16 starts, and Dell Pettus and Brenden Schooler each appeared in all 17 regular-season games.
Epps has only played 11 snaps on special teams over the last two years, but he may have to revive that part of his game if he can’t earn a starting role on defense.