Former Tennessee Titans and current New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott. Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Buffalo Bills have a chance to upgrade safety and stick it to a division rival

Originally posted on Buffalo Bills on SI
By Mike Moraitis | Last updated Aug 29, 2025 1:50 PM ET

A new safety option for the Buffalo Bills has just entered the chat and he comes from an AFC East rival.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the New England Patriots are releasing veteran safety Jabrill Peppers after three seasons with the team.

The move is at least somewhat surprising considering Peppers was slated to start for head coach Mike Vrabel's defense. Now, Peppers goes to free agency and is available to sign with any team.

The Bills have needed to add an upgrade at safety alongside Taylor Rapp all offseason long.

Granted, Jordan Poyer was added to the practice squad and will likely get a call up to the active roster, but there's no telling what the 34-year-old has left in the tank.

Cole Bishop is slated to play a big role this season, but the 22-year-old remains unproven and missed a large chunk of camp because of injury.

Not exactly an ideal situation for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.

With 85 career starts under his belt, Peppers would immediately check the box for what the Bills need. The former first-round pick is capable of playing deep and in the box, and his presence will quickly change the outlook of Buffalo's safeties room.

Peppers amounts to a nice complement to Rapp, who struggles in coverage. In his last healthy season in 2023, Peppers had an elite Pro Football Focus coverage grade of 83.2 and surrendered a completion rate of 58.8% and a passer rating of 52.6.

Making a Peppers signing even more attractive is the fact that the Bills can stick it to their division rival if he pans out.

The issue for the Bills here, as always, is the money. Buffalo is $6.1 million over the cap right now, so general manager Brandon Beane must move some money around to bring Peppers in.

That said, Peppers isn't likely to garner a ton on the open market, so Beane doesn't figure to have to do much shuffling to fit him in.