Patriots Player Departure Jabrill Peppers Released (Update: Signs w/Steelers)

[manxman2601]

Vrabel said the roster would be drastically different. I think he’s jettisoning everyone in leadership that was here during b2b 4 win seasons.

The timing is odd.

Yup. I think it’s a carry on from the spring where it was clear Vrabel wanted to gut the old team. Keion White’s probably getting nervous.

 

[Patriot Missile]

These kind of moves just don’t happen without reason. Money wasn’t the issue as his contract was fair and the team has plenty of cap room. Something will be coming down the pipe shortly I guess.

Maybe the coaches saw something in one of the players during camp that they loved and decided to move on it? Maybe the they like a free agent out there like Simmons or Blackmon? A trade perhaps in the works?

 

[40yrpatsfan]

Thats not true at all. Peppers would have been a surprise cut.

If he's cut on cut-down day, you figure it's part of their overall plan, even if unexpected. When you wait till several days after the fact, it looks like a mistake was made.

 

[Real fan 02]

I like that! Lol.. reports coming out 98.5 mentions that peppers didn't like his role as the team was trying to incorporate some young guys at safety more. Likely he asked for his release.

 

[manxman2601]

 

[signbabybrady]

I think they tried. Telling that they found no partner.

Also telling that they thought they could get something and again suck at finding trade partners or completely mis evaluated talent.

Something's wrong on the front end or the back end of these evaluations that they went into mini camp and training camp with so many potential starters and so many failed to even make the roster and/or net anything in trade despite wasting roster spots to keep them longer than cut down.

 

[TheRainMaker]

Sounds like a scheme thing. Vrabel wants back peddlers and both Dugger and Peppers aren't it. Like Tavai over Bentley, Dugger is here over Peppers because the cap hit is too large. Peppers wanted out, so they granted it.

 

[TheRainMaker]

I think they tried. Telling that they found no partner.

Wolf missed the first memo when they transition tagged Dugger in 2024. Any team could've offered him a contract and not give the Pats any compensation if Dugger chose to sign and the Pats didn't match the offer. NOBODY came forward, so they signed him to that large deal.

This is where Bill is missed. He was criticized for being a tough negotiator and letting players walk, but this was clearly why.

 

[Love The Drake]

Wolf missed the first memo when they transition tagged Dugger in 2024. Any team could've offered him a contract and not give the Pats any compensation if Dugger chose to sign and the Pats didn't match the offer. NOBODY came forward, so they signed him to that large deal.

This is where Bill is missed. He was criticized for being a tough negotiator and letting players walk, but this was clearly why.

Balance is and was needed

 

[TomPatriot]

Who replaces Peppers?

 

[festy1986]

6 win season. Tops.

 

[imahobgoblin]

If he's cut on cut-down day, you figure it's part of their overall plan, even if unexpected. When you wait till several days after the fact, it looks like a mistake was made.

No, it doesn't. It screams that something unexpected happened in the time span of those several day.

 

[Mike the Brit]

Vrabel said the roster would be drastically different. I think he’s jettisoning everyone in leadership that was here during b2b 4 win seasons.

The timing is odd.

The Pats should have taken a lesson from Washington. Get your quarterback. Then go through the roster and jettison anyone who is not of NFL standard, draft well and bring in a few transformative players who will also act as leaders. They got good in a hurry and congratulations to them for doing it.

The message ought to be: it doesn't matter if you came in as Belichick's guy, Vrabel's guy or (gulp!) Wolf's guy. We're all Vrabel's guys now.

 

[imahobgoblin]

Story was, they were playing a lot of cover 4 in camp and we saw some of that against Washington. And Peppers was the slot guy in those situations. Playing this type of defense requires more backpedaling / coverage skill out of the strong safeties than in Bill’s defense and the knockoff version Mayo tried last year.

So conceptually this makes sense along with Dugger. But with the timing, the relatively low salary for Peppers, the lack of any trade rumors (unlike Dugger)? Something smells off to me here, like they were ok with having Peppers here but something off the field or in the locker room happened that blew up quickly, to make them decide a non-pure scheme fit like him wasn’t worth the hassle.

Ya, I think you are right. Something stinks. He made the 53 with a specific plan in mind. Something in that plan changed. It could be anything, and we might never know. Off field makes the most sense.

 

[manxman2601]

6 win season. Tops.

Do you really think Peppers was a guy that would win us 3-4 games?

 

[PWRxWLF]

Do you really think Peppers was a guy that would win us 3-4 games?

Who on the team is going to win you 3-4 games single handedly?

 

[Lagaffe_07]

6 win season. Tops.

If you think they are 6 win team now then they would still be a 6 win team with Peppers.

 

[BadMoFo]

Who on the team is going to win you 3-4 games single handedly?

The QB, possibly. We had a QB who lost us 3-4 games.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Maybe Mapu will be a 3rd down Cover LB/Safety?

Bingo.

 

[RobertWeathers]

did anyone have peppers in the surprise cut thread? if so, they can take a bow.

I said he might get cut months ago and your buddy NEM 2.0 disagreed with me.