After visiting with the Patriots, safety Jabrill Peppers has decided to join the team. He is signing a one-year contract with New England, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). His colleague Field Yates tweets that the deal has a maximum value of $5M.
The 26-year-old met with the Patriots Monday, signalling that a deal could be imminent. Now, he is set to join a new NFL team for the second time in his career. The former first-rounder played two seasons in Cleveland, but wound up with the Giants as a result of the Odell Beckham Jr. trade.
He played in the Big Apple for three years, starting in 30 of his 32 appearances. Over that time, the former Michigan Wolverine totaled 196 tackles, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions and 17 pass breakups. While his numbers in terms of pass coverage have never been favorable, he has established himself as an effective safety defending the run and contributed on special teams as a returner as well.
By signing in New England, Peppers will reunite with Joe Judge, his head coach in New York. The longtime Patriots assistant — whose background is in special teams — will work to replace Josh McDaniels‘ contributions on offense this season. While he and Peppers likely won’t work as closely together in New England, therefore, there is still a high degree of familiarity between the two.
Peppers will join a Patriots safety room already featuring the likes of Devin McCourty, Adrian Phillips and Kyle Dugger. Schefter reports that he is expected to be recovered from a torn ACL in time for this season’s training camp. The Giants, meanwhile, will likely turn to Xavier McKinney as Peppers’ replacement.
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