The New England Patriots defense will have a new look in 2025, but some of the old guard still remain. Among them is Jabrill Peppers, a starting safety who arrived in 2022 after stints with the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants.
Peppers has been a mainstay on defense since joining the Patriots, but he finds himself in a challenging position: he will need to prove himself coming off what might just have been the most challenging season of his career.
Hard facts
Name: Jabrill Peppers
Position: Safety
Jersey number: 5
Opening day age: 29 (10/4/1995)
Measurements: 5’10 7/8”, 217 lbs, 30 3/4” arm length, 9 5/8” hand size, 4.46s 40-yard dash, 35 1/2” vertical jump, 10’8” broad jump, 19 bench press reps, 9.10 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: Cleveland Browns (2017-18), New York Giants (2019-21), England Patriots (2022-) | College: Michigan (2014-16)
A five-star prospect and one of the highest-rated recruits in the nation coming out of Paramus Catholic High School in Paramus, NJ, Peppers received scholarship offers from some of the most prestigious programs in college football. Starting out as a cornerback, he steadily expanded his scope under head coach Jim Harbaugh and by his 2016 redshirt junior season was a do-it-all piece in the Wolverines’ secondary, on special teams and even on offense.
Named a unanimous first-team All-American and receiving several individual accolades including the Paul Hornung Award, the Lott Trophy, and the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award, Peppers decided to forgo his final two years of eligibility. Despite having played only 27 games in college, he was selected 25h overall by the Browns in the 2017 NFL Draft and made an immediate impact on their defense.
Primarily aligning as a deep safety, Peppers showed promise in his first year as a system. However, his playing time decreased during his sophomore campaign and his role started to change: the Browns decided to use him all over their secondary and not in one pre-defined spot. He performed well, but was nonetheless traded to the Giants after his second season in a move also involving star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
Peppers went on to spend three seasons in New York, and established himself as a quality box safety. The Giants consequently exercised his fifth-year contract option to keep him in the fold through 2021, but he suffered a torn ACL halfway through the season.
Even though he had started 59 games over his first five seasons in the league, Peppers experienced a slow free agency period in 2022. He eventually was picked up by the Patriots in early April, signing a one-year, $2 million deal to come to New England. That contract was the first step in what would become a solid tenure with his new club: over the next three years, Peppers added 26 more starts to his résumé as a jack of all trades in the Patriots’ defensive backfield.
Scouting report
Strengths: Even though he will turn 30 later this year, Peppers has a strong athletic foundation and combines the speed, burst, agility and strength needed to perform various tasks in his role as a versatile safety. In general, this versatility is one of his best traits: besides the athletic skill he also provides the experience, football intelligence and natural instincts to seamlessly transition between positions, and to play at a high level both against the run and the pass as well as in man and particularly zone coverage looks.
Peppers is a tone-setter and able communicator, who was voted a captain by his peers in 2024. He is a physical defender who makes his presence felt when coming downhill from the second level, and also is a solid tackler who uses advanced angles and click-and-close reaction to his advantage. He has the vision to maneuver through traffic to get to the ball carrier, while also offering a nose for the football; he has the ball skills to complete interceptions and be competitive in contested catch situations, and has a violent punch against ball carriers.
Weaknesses: Peppers carries out his assignments at a high level, but is not equally suited against all types of defenders. He is better against tight ends or bigger-body receivers, for example, than shifty slot-type operators. Even though his vision is generally good, he can come in too hot at times when shooting gaps in the run game. He also offers little as a pass rusher, and has only 8 combined pressures in three seasons as a Patriot.
2024 review
Stats: 6 games (6 starts) | 372 defensive snaps (33.3%), 15 special teams snaps (3.4%) | 39 tackles, 3 missed tackles (7.1%), 1 forced fumble | 10 targets, 7 catches surrendered (70%), 44 yards, 1 INT | 3 quarterback pressures (3 hurries) | 1 special teams tackle
Season recap: Even though the Patriots as a whole struggled in 2023, Peppers had a successful individual campaign and fully established himself as a key presence in a post-Devin McCourty safety room. As a result, the organization — even under new leadership — decided to award him with a three-year, $24 million extension that would pair him up with fellow starter Kyle Dugger through 2027.
Early on during the 2024 season, Peppers wasted no time showing why the team invested in him. Despite nursing hip and shoulder ailments, he played 100 percent of snaps in three of the first four games of the season (and would likely have made it 4-of-4 if not of the blowout nature of a Week 3 contest against the New York Jets). Along the way, he was his usual reliable self in the box.
Peppers showed his usual mix of physical play, good anticipation and reaction, and even managed to catch the Patriots’ first interception of the year in Week 4 versus the San Francisco 49ers.
Unfortunately for the Patriots and Peppers, that pick would remain his last big play for a while. The following weekend, ahead of a game against Miami, he was arrested at his home on charges of alleged domestic violence and drug possession. He sat out that contest, and eventually was moved to the commissioner’s exempt list by the NFL — serving what was essentially a suspension.
With his trial date set for January, Peppers was ultimately reinstated, but not before having missed eight combined games and having lost his prior status as a team captain. When he returned to the field in early December, however, it was like he had never left — albeit only briefly.
In his first game back, in Week 13 against the Indianapolis Colts, he played all 62 defensive snaps and registered a season-high 10 tackles as well as a forced fumble. He continued to play a sizable role against Arizona after the Patriots’ bye, but the following week hurt his hamstring in practice. The injury ended up costing Peppers the rest of his season; he was declared inactive in Weeks 16 and 17 before being sent to injured reserve for the season finale.
Three weeks after the season came to an end, Peppers was acquitted on all charges.
2025 preview
Position: Multiple safety | Ability: High quality starter | Contract: Signed through 2027
What will be his role? While primarily a box safety before arriving in New England, Peppers has played a diverse role in the team’s secondary over the last three years. The expectation is that his usage will look similar under a new coaching staff; even with fourth-round rookie Craig Woodson joining the team, Peppers projects as a starter and do-it-all player at the safety position.
What is his growth potential? Entering his ninth season as a pro, Peppers very much is an established presence in the NFL. Time will tell how he will perform in a new environment, but the room for growth at this stage in his career appears to be relatively marginal.
Does he have positional versatility? As noted above, Peppers is a versatile player capable of carrying out several different assignments. While best suited to play closer to the line of scrimmage than in the deep parts of the field, he has shown that he can still do so without too much of a drop-off. Having a player like this available allows New England to be multiple with its coverage looks and remain stout against the run even out of nickel and dime looks.
What is his salary cap situation? As part of the three-year extension he signed last summer, Peppers is counting $6.45 million against New England’s cap this season — a number that includes $4 million in guarantees: $2.5 million of his $4.5 million salary are guaranteed, as is his entire $1.5 million signing bonus proration. In addition, $300,000 of his $850,000 per-game roster bonuses and his $150,000 workout bonus are classified as likely to be earned.
How safe is his roster spot? In an effort to rebuild the culture, the Patriots have parted ways with several veteran leaders since Mike Vrabel’s arrival in January. From that perspective, Peppers might be on notice as well. That being said, his cap situation and strong play when on the field last season suggest that he should be given a chance this season to prove himself to Vrabel and his new staff.
Summary: Peppers is a quality safety who was one of the better players on the Patriots defense when available in 2024. His combination of age, lack of ties to the new regime and unsatisfactory recent history means that he will be under a bit of pressure this coming season, but there is no denying he can still be a valuable piece of the puzzle as well as a tone-setter on and off the field.
What do you think about Jabrill Peppers heading into the 2025 season? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.