Jabrill Peppers

Patriots Owner Robert Kraft Addresses Jabrill Peppers’ Future With Team

October 14th, 2024 at 9:48am CST by Adam La Rose

Jabrill Peppers was recently arrested on a number of charges stemming from an alleged domestic violence incident. The Patriots safety is currently the subject of a league investigation, leaving his future with the team in question.

Peppers is on the commissioner’s exempt list, and both the NFL and the Patriots are looking into the situation. Depending on the outcome of that process, he could soon find himself in free agency. Patriots owner Robert Kraft publicly stated Peppers will be released if the accusations he faces are proven true.

“When you read the [police report] initially, it turns your stomach,” Kraft said (via ESPN’s Mike Reiss). “Once he goes on the commissioner exempt list, they do their independent checking. We’re doing ours. If what was reported is true, he’s gone. There have been some suggestions that this was a set-up and a lot of what was reported isn’t accurate… We want to get the facts.”

Peppers is alleged to have choked a woman and shoved her head against a wall outside his Braintree, Mass., apartment; he is also facing charges of assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and the possession of a class B substance. The 29-year-old has been in New England since 2022, and this summer he agreed to a three-year extension. A portion of his 2025 salary is guaranteed as a result of that agreement, but a suspension under the personal conduct policy could void that compensation.

Cutting Peppers now would create a dead money charge of $8.73MM (although the remaining guarantees in his base salary for this year could of course be altered by league discipline). New England certainly has the cap space to absorb such a move, but it would leave the team in need of a new full-time starter in the secondary. Peppers has handled starting duties since last year, but his NFL future could change in short order depending on the outcome of the NFL’s investigation.

NFL Places Patriots S Jabrill Peppers On Commissioner’s Exempt List

October 9th, 2024 at 10:11am CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL will use its commissioner’s exempt list to sideline Jabrill Peppers. After an arrest near Boston over the weekend, the veteran Patriots safety is officially on paid leave, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets.

Not only is Peppers barred from Patriots games, he is ineligible to practice while on the list. This marks the second usage of the commissioner’s exempt list this season, following Browns rookie defensive lineman Michael Hall.

Peppers was hit with charges of assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, strangulation and the possession of a class B substance. He is accused of choking a woman and shoving her head against a wall outside his Braintree, Mass., apartment, the Boston Globe’s John Ellement, Christopher Price and Camilio Fonseca report. Identifying herself as Peppers’ on-and-off girlfriend, the woman said the DB “took off her clothing and put her outside” his apartment.

Peppers pleaded not guilty to each of the charges and was released on bail, according to the Globe. The arrest occurred shortly after Peppers’ 29th birthday. The unnamed woman said she Peppers were “being intimate when her phone rang,” angering the veteran defender. The woman then accused Peppers of pushing her out of his bedroom. This led to Peppers allegedly pushing the woman down a flight of carpeted stairs in a hallway, according to the Globe.

Peppers denies he choked or pushed the woman, telling police she “appeared to be drunk” and acted erratically, blaming this for her fall down the stairs. Police did not smell alcohol on her breath, per the Globe. The woman declined to be hospitalized, but paramedics provided her an icepack. Police observed scratches on her knees and indicated redness on the right side of her forehead, according to the Globe, which adds a police search of Peppers’ apartment produced a bag Peppers allegedly confirmed was cocaine. Peppers soon informed Patriots HC Jerod Mayo of the development.

The Patriots took the atypical step, for a home team, of downgrading Peppers from questionable to out the day before their Week 5 Dolphins matchup. While Peppers is out of the picture for the time being, he is tied to a recently signed extension (three years, $24MM). The 2025 guarantees on that contract ($2.5MM of the safety’s $4.5MM base salary) are at risk. A personal conduct policy suspension can still come out of this arrest, despite Peppers being placed on the exempt list. Hall was hit with a five-game ban upon his reinstatement.

Patriots S Jabrill Peppers Arrested On Assault Charges

October 7th, 2024 at 5:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

5:25pm: The NFL indicated on Monday (via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe) that no timeline is in place for action to be taken in this case. While time spent on the commissioner’s exempt list could be in play down the road, it remains to be seen when (or if) a league investigation will be opened and therefore the timing of any discipline being handed down is uncertain.

8:24am: Months after signing a Patriots extension, Jabrill Peppers has run into off-field trouble. The veteran safety was arrested over the weekend on assault and drug charges.

Peppers is facing charges of assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, strangulation and the possession of a class B substance, Boston25’s Ryan Breslin reports. The arrest occurred early Saturday morning. Jerod Mayo confirmed during a WEEI appearance (via the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed) the eighth-year safety informed him of the arrest.

“I mean, look, he called me that morning. I knew what was going on,” Mayo said. “And the NFL, we’ve informed the NFL what was going on and we’re still gathering information.”

In addition to Peppers’ trouble with authorities, a future NFL suspension under the league’s personal conduct policy likely looms. Part of Peppers’ 2025 base salary is fully guaranteed; a ban will threaten to void that $2.5MM figure. Peppers did not play against the Dolphins in Week 5 due to injury.

Peppers turned 29 on Friday, and this arrest is believed to have occurred shortly after. Teams rarely take action in terms of suspensions, letting the NFL handle those matters. Suspensions generally occur down the road, as cases play out. The Pats downgraded Peppers from questionable to out Saturday, which is not exactly common for teams not traveling that week. The NFL can act by putting Peppers on the commissioner’s exempt list, but the league rarely goes down the paid-leave route.

The former Browns first-round pick is in his third season with the Patriots. He started 15 games last season and earned a three-year, $24MM extension this summer. Prior to suffering a shoulder injury, Peppers started all four New England games this season. He is sitting on 23 tackles and one interception thus far this season.

Patriots, S Jabrill Peppers Finalize Extension

July 30th, 2024 at 8:35am CST by Adam La Rose

JULY 30: Peppers’ deal has a maximum value of $29MM, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe clarifies. His 2024 compensation will increase to $10MM, while next year already includes locked in money. Peppers has $4.32MM in guaranteed money for 2025, so he will remain in New England for at least the immediate future on his new pact.

JULY 26: Questions linger for some Patriots defenders at the start of training camp with respect to their futures. In the case of Jabrill Peppers, though, that will not be a concern.

The veteran safety is finalizing a three-year New England extension, per ESPN’s Field Yates. The pact has a base value of $24MM and can max out at $30MM, he adds. Peppers had one year remaining on his deal, so he will now be on the books through 2027.

This agreement – which head coach Jerod Mayo has since confirmed – will ensure Peppers remains a key member of the Patriots’ secondary for the foreseeable future. The former Browns first-rounder spent his first two seasons in Cleveland before being included in the Odell Beckham Jr. trade. Peppers then played three years with the Giants before seeing his rookie contract expire. During that time, he demonstrated his ability to be an impactful player when healthy.

Peppers was limited to six games in 2021, and he originally joined the Patriots on a one-year, $2MM deal. The 28-year-old played more on special teams than defense during his debut New England campaign, but his performance earned him another contract. Peppers inked a two-year deal last offseason, one which set him up for a full-time starting role. He responded with a career-high two interceptions, along with eight pass deflections and 78 tackles.

Rather than waiting to see if Peppers repeats that level of production in 2024, Eliot Wolf and the front office have authorized a significant raise. The Michigan alum was attached to a $4.5MM AAV on his previous deal, but he will collect much more on this contract even if he is unable to maximize its value. With Peppers in the fold, he will reprise his starting spot in a tandem with Kyle Dugger moving forward. The latter signed a four-year, $58MM deal earlier this offseason.

Wolf’s first year at the helm has consisted of a long list of re-signings and extensions being worked out. The likes of Peppers, Dugger, Christian Barmore, Anfernee Jennings and Jahlani Tavai have all secured new pacts on the defensive side of the ball. Michael Onwenu, Rhamondre Stevenson, Kendrick Bourne and Hunter Henry, meanwhile, each signed long-term contracts allowing them to remain key players on offense.

Uncertainty remains as it pertains to edge rusher Matt Judon and defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, and attention will no doubt continue to be focused on how their respective contracts are handled by the front office. With Peppers now on the books well beyond 2024, though, he is among the Patriots whose future is not in question.

Patriots Notes: Bailey, Front Office, Peppers, Cardona

March 25th, 2023 at 9:53am CST by Ben Levine

The Patriots hit punter Jake Bailey with a two-game suspension late during the 2022 season, with the two sides disagreeing on the player’s ability to return from injury. This decision was especially relevant considering Bailey’s $2MM in guaranteed money for 2023, money that would be void via a suspension. As a result, Bailey filed a grievance against the organization.

Ben Volin of the Boston Globe passed along the outcome of that grievance (on Twitter). The Patriots owe Bailey no money but will be left with a $2.37MM cap hit for the 2023 campaign. This cap hit is likely a result of the Patriots’ expected decision to cut Bailey after the season. The team will also get a cap credit worth a bit more than $40K for the 2022 season.

Bailey recently acknowledged that the suspension caught him by surprise.

“You know, there’s a lot to unpack,” Bailey said (h/t Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post). “And a lot of it is between them and me, partly. I’ve talked to coach (Bill) Belichick about this and how, you know, we want to talk about all this stuff. Obviously, you don’t want to end up on a list like that, ever. And, you know, confusion was a lot of it. And I think we’re just past it, now at this point. It was something that happened. And it was something that was unfortunate for both sides. And you know, now I think both parties are in a better situation.”

The veteran punter later caught on with the Dolphins, signing a one-year, $1.23MM deal. Bailey brings plenty of experience, having seen time in 58 regular season games for the Patriots since 2019. Bailey earned a Pro Bowl nod and first-team All-Pro recognition for his performance during the 2020 campaign. He inked a four-year, $13.5MM extension with New England last offseason, but a back injury ultimately spelled the end of his career in New England.

More notes out of New England…

The Patriots have been busy reshuffling their coaching staff this offseason, but the team has also made some changes to their front office. According to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (via Twitter), the Patriots are expected to add former Panthers vice president of player personnel Pat Stewart. The long-time executive previously had a 10-year stint in New England, winning a pair of Super Bowl rings. Per Wilson, Stewart was pursed by a number of teams around the NFL, especially those with connections to the Patriots organization.
Jabrill Peppers‘ new contract with the Patriots will see him earn a $1.08MM fully guaranteed base salary in 2023 and a $3.18 base salary ($1.82MM guaranteed) in 2024, per Wilson (on Twitter). The former first-round pick joined the Patriots last offseason and proceeded to get into all 17 games for his new team, collecting 60 tackles. He signed a new two-year, $9MM deal with New England at the start of free agency.
Joe Cardona‘s new contract with the Patriots made him the league’s highest-paid long snapper, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). The veteran signed a four-year, $6.3MM pact, and the deal can max out at $6.7MM with incentives. Cardona also set positional records with his $1MM signing bonus and $2.6MM in guaranteed money. The former fifth-round pick has been with the Patriots since 2015.

Patriots To Re-Sign S Jabrill Peppers

March 14th, 2023 at 6:40pm CST by Ben Levine

Jabrill Peppers is sticking around New England. The safety is re-signing with the Patriots, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Peppers is inking a new two-year deal.

This contract includes a max value of $11MM, per ESPN.com’s Field Yates, who adds $6MM will be guaranteed (Twitter link). Coming off an injury in 2022, Peppers signed a one-year deal worth $2MM. He upped his value a bit with the Pats last season.

A former first-round pick by the Browns, Peppers had an uneven three years with the Giants. His final year in New York ended prematurely when the player suffered a torn ACL and high ankle sprain, and Peppers ended up settling for a one-year pact with the Patriots last offseason.

Despite having to come back from the severe injury, Peppers managed to appear in all 17 games for New England last season, collecting 60 tackles. He ended up grading as PFF’s 16th safety (among 88 qualifiers), the first time he cracked the top-20 at his position since the 2018 campaign.

Peppers was used as a bit of a Swiss Army Knife last season, splitting time between the box, the slot, deep in the secondary, and the perimeter. With Devin McCourty retired and out of the picture in 2023, there’s a chance that Peppers serves as more of a traditional safety in 2023, although with Adrian Phillips still on the roster, the Patriots could continue to take advantage of Peppers’ versatility.

Patriots Receiving Calls On RB Damien Harris, S Jabrill Peppers

October 27th, 2022 at 6:51pm CST by Ben Levine

With a 3-4 record and coming off an embarrassing Monday Night Football loss, it’s been speculated that the Patriots could start selling. While we’ve previously heard that receivers Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne are on the block, it sounds like rival teams are sniffing around at some other players in New England.

According to Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus (on Twitter), the Patriots have received calls on running back Damien Harris and safety Jabrill Peppers. However, the reporter is quick to clarify that the Patriots are not actively shopping the two players. Kyed also passes along that the team has also received calls on receivers Jakobi Meyers and DeVante Parker.

Harris is set to hit free agency following the season. The former third-round pick had a standout season in 2021, finishing with 15 rushing touchdowns. He had 246 yards and three touchdowns through his first four games this season, but a hamstring injury forced him to miss most of Week 5 and all of Week 6. He returned on Monday night but was limited to only three carries. Over that same three-game span, Rhamondre Stevenson had collected 364 yards from scrimmage, so there’s a chance the Patriots are ready to give the second-year pro the full-time gig.

After being limited to only six games last year, Peppers joined the Patriots on a one-year deal. He’s started one of his seven appearances this season, collecting 20 tackles. He’s seen an inconsistent role in New England, with only two of his contests featuring him in more than 40 percent of New England’s defensive snaps. Pro Football Focus has been fond of his limited role, ranking him 29th among 87 qualifying safeties.

The Patriots have a crowded receivers depth chart, so it’s no surprise that Meyers and Parker are now being included in the rumor mill. Meyers had a career year in 2021 with Mac Jones, and despite shaky QB play this year, he’s continued to be New England’s most consistent WR. In five games, Meyers has hauled in 26 receptions for 355 yards and two scores. After being acquired from the Dolphins this past offseason, Parker has topped 60 yards in three games (including an 156-yard outburst in Week 3) but couldn’t hit 25 yards in his other three appearances (including a pair of shutouts).

Patriots’ Jonathan Jones, Jabrill Peppers Return To Practice

August 1st, 2022 at 1:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

After letting J.C. Jackson walk in free agency, a decision consistent with offseason cornerback choices in the recent past, the Patriots will have a transition to make. But the team does return some talent at the position. One of those players made a long-awaited return to work Monday.

The Patriots activated Jonathan Jones from their active/PUP list. The team’s primary slot corner, Jones was lost early during the 2021 season, going down with a shoulder injury in Week 6. Offseason safety addition Jabrill Peppers, who suffered an ACL tear days after Jones went down, is also back at practice for New England. The team also activated defensive back Myles Bryant from its active/non-football injury list.

Jones, 28, and Devin McCourty are the only secondary cogs left to have played regular roles in the Patriots’ most recent Super Bowl season. A former UDFA, Jones has been a key member of the Pats’ secondary since the 2017 season. New England gave the Auburn alum a three-year, $21MM extension just before the 2019 season. Jones graded as one of the top corners in football in his most recent full season (2020), per Pro Football Focus; his deal expires after the 2022 campaign.

Peppers was linked in trades ahead of last year’s deadline, but his injury nixed any move. The Giants let the 2019 trade acquisition walk this offseason. The former first-round pick saw his role decrease in 2021, with the Giants using Xavier McKinney and ex-Patriot Logan Ryan more often on their back line, but has made 59 career starts and was the No. 25 overall pick in 2017.

This will be Peppers’ age-27 season. The Pats, who signed Peppers for just $2MM, added the Michigan product to a deep safety corps — one that has McCourty back alongside Adrian Phillips and Kyle Dugger.

Patriots Place Five Players On PUP

July 21st, 2022 at 6:53pm CST by Ben Levine

The Patriots placed a long list of players on the physically unable to perform list today. Per ESPN’s Mike Reiss on Twitter, New England placed center David Andrews, cornerback Jonathan Jones, linebacker Raekwon McMillan, safety Jabrill Peppers, and running back James White on PUP. The players are able to return to practice at any time, but they’ll be watching from the sideline until they’re officially activated.

Jones is still rehabbing a shoulder injury that limited him to only six games in 2021, while Andrews is recovering from his own shoulder surgery. White was limited to only three games last season thanks to a hip issue, and it sounds like the injury is lingering into this year’s training camp. Peppers and McMillan are both returning from ACL injuries.

White is one of the most veteran players on the Patriots roster, and in an ideal world, the running back would serve as a pass-catching safety blanket for Mac Jones. Between the 2016 and 2019 campaign, White averaged 68.8 catches and 950 yards from scrimmage per season. Now 30, this injury could spell the beginning of the end for White, and with Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson requiring carries (plus rookie fourth-round pick Pierre Strong Jr.), it’s hard to really see a role for White even if he’s healthy.

Andrews is also one of the longest-tenured Patriots players, having appeared in 89 games across seven seasons with the organization (including a 2019 campaign that he missed due to a pulmonary embolism). Despite the 2021 season being Andrews’ age-30 season, he still proved he was one of the best centers in the NFL, with Pro Football Focus ranking him fifth among 39 eligible centers.

McMillan joined the Patriots last offseason, but he tore his ACL in August and missed the entire season. Peppers, a former first-round pick, spent the past three seasons with the Giants. He collected 29 tackles and one sack in six games before suffering a torn ACL in October. Jones has spent his entire six-year career in New England, starting 27 games (including 21 starts between 2018 and 2020). He collected 20 tackles and three passes defended in six games last season.

Contract Details: Armstead, MVS, Douglas, Peterson, Peppers, Butler, Barnett, Harris

March 31st, 2022 at 5:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the latest details from contracts recently agreed to around the NFL:

Terron Armstead, T (Dolphins): Five years, $75MM. In addition to a $12MM signing bonus, Armstead’s $43.37MM guarantee includes his 2022 and ’23 base salaries ($1.1MM, $9MM), Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. Armstead’s $13.25MM 2024 base salary is guaranteed for injury at signing. The deal includes $2.5MM-per-year incentives for playing time and Pro Bowl accolades, Wilson adds (on Twitter).
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR (Chiefs): Three years, $30MM. Valdes-Scantling’s $18MM guaranteed includes a $6MM signing bonus and a fully guaranteed 2022 base salary ($2.56MM), Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. The Chiefs have some flexibility in 2023. MVS has $6.4MM of his $8.6MM 2023 salary guaranteed for injury at signing; that shifts to a full guarantee if the wideout is on Kansas City’s roster on Day 3 of the 2023 league year. Valdes-Scantling’s $11.6MM 2024 base is nonguaranteed.
Rasul Douglas, CB (Packers): Three years, $21MM. The Packers gave Douglas a $5.3MM signing bonus and have him tied to base salaries of $1.1MM, $2.25MM and $6.25MM, Wilson tweets. Douglas will collect a $2MM roster bonus if he is on Green Bay’s roster on Day 3 of the 2023 league year.
Derek Barnett, DE (Eagles): Two years, $13.2MM. Barnett will see $7MM fully guaranteed, which includes $5.5MM in Year 1 and $1.5MM in Year 2, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes (Twitter links). The Eagles guaranteed $1.5MM of Barnett’s 2023 salary and will guarantee $2MM more of that $7.5MM figure if he is on their roster on Day 3 of the 2023 league year. There are $9MM in incentives available, Wilson tweets.
Malcolm Butler, CB (Patriots): Two years, $9MM. The Patriots only guaranteed the recently unretired cornerback $750K, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets. That comes via a $500K signing bonus and a $250K guarantee of Butler’s 2022 base salary. Butler’s cap numbers check in at $2.22MM and $2.75MM.
Patrick Peterson, CB (Vikings): One year, $4MM. In addition to the $3.5MM guaranteed Peterson will collect, Wilson notes the Vikings included $1MM in playing-time and playoff incentives (Twitter link). The team tacked a void year onto the deal.
Anthony Harris, S (Eagles): One year, $2.5MM. The Eagles are guaranteeing $1MM of Harris’ $2MM base salary, Wilson tweets.
Jabrill Peppers, S (Patriots): One year, $2MM. The Patriots are giving Peppers a $300K signing bonus and guaranteeing his $1.1MM base salary, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The deal includes $3MM in playing-time incentives.

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