Report: Patriots agree to terms with former Giants safety Jabrill Peppers

The New England Patriots have locked up free-agent safety Jabrill Peppers for the 2022 season, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The deal for the former New York Giant is for one season, signaling the team’s caution given his recent injury history.

The Patriots hosted Peppers on Monday and quickly opted to commit to him. The young safety played for new Pats assistant Joe Judge in 2020-21, adding a level of familiarity between the two parties.

In his career, Peppers has accumulated four interceptions, four forced fumbles, 333 total tackles and 4.5 sacks. Last season with the Giants, the former Michigan star only played in six games, amassing 29 tackles, 1.0 sack and one pass deflection on the season.

Despite the ACL tear he suffered in October, the former Michigan Wolverines star is just 26 years old and has a lot of football ahead of him. Under the leadership of Bill Belichick, perhaps a different gear could be reached for Peppers. He’s proven to be a solid defensive piece, as well as a special teams difference-maker.

Jabrill Peppers moves on to third NFL team

Peppers was the 17th pick in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, taken by the Cleveland Browns out of Michigan. With the Wolverines, he racked up several awards at linebacker and as a return specialist. In his final year at Michigan, he was a unanimous All-American, recipient of the Lott trophy and Paul Hornung Award, Big Ten player of the year, and linebacker of the year. He left Michigan with 125 tackles, 18.5 for a loss, one forced fumble, and an interception. He also had three rushing touchdowns on offense and one punt return for a touchdown. 

With Cleveland, Peppers had two productive seasons. He officially moved to strong safety in his second year there. But in 2019, he was a part of the blockbuster trade that sent Odell Beckham Jr. to Cleveland. The Browns packaged him, guard Kevin Zeitler, a first and third-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Following the 2021 season, Peppers completed his rookie contract which was worth $10.3 million. The Giants picked up his fifth-year option last year before ultimately letting him walk.