It was a shock to much of New England when Patriots' head coach Mike Vrabel released veteran safety Jabrill Peppers after he made the initial 53-man roster. What was even more surprising about that move was that the Patriots kept Kyle Dugger, who had been on the chopping block throughout training camp.
That mistake may come back to haunt the Patriots even more in a couple of weeks after ESPN's Ian Rapoport reported that Peppers plans on signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England's Week 3 opponent in Foxborough.
Ouch.
Former #Patriots S Jabrill Peppers, a surprise release after cut-down day, is expected to sign with the #Steelers per me and @MikeGarafolo. They’ve agreed to terms. pic.twitter.com/s2WzY10VgO
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 9, 2025
This is a move that may invoke flashbacks of 2003 when Bill Belichick cut captain and veteran safety Lawyer Milloy, who subsequently signed with the Buffalo Bills and got his revenge in the form of a 31-0 pasting. That season did end with a Super Bowl championship, but if social media had existed when Milloy was cut, Belichick would've taken a beating.
The timing could not be worse for this to happen to the Patriots, given the combination of Peppers being one of the league's highest-regarded safeties and New England's offense looking rather vanilla in a Week 1 loss to the woeful Raiders.
Jabrill Peppers will find a way to hurt his former team
Peppers has found his way to a Pittsburgh team riding high after Aaron Rodgers sliced up the Jets in a 34-32 Week One victory in the Meadowlands, while things are not as rosy in Foxborough.
At the age of 29, the veteran safety is in the prime of his career and has had a 90.1 PFF grade over the last two seasons. Peppers can still play, and releasing him undoubtedly made the Patriots' secondary worse.
Peppers also spent the last few training camps practicing against Drake Maye and his team, so he is familiar with New England's tendencies on offense and can relay that information to the Steelers. That will certainly be an issue for a Patriots' offense that struggled to move the ball against a Las Vegas team that was among the league's worst defenses last season.
If the Patriots fall in that game - especially if Peppers is a huge factor - Vrabel is going to face all kinds of questions in the aftermath. And the way things have been going in Foxborough lately, all signs point to Peppers having a few game-changing plays.