The New England Patriots entered their first season with former player Mike Vrabel as the new head coach. Building the team in his own image, Vrabel decided to move on from holdovers from the Bill Belichick and Jerod Mayo regimes. One of those players was safety and former team captain Jabrill Peppers in what was a pretty surprising move.
Peppers didn't wait long to find a new team, as he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers just after Week 1. Peppers made his debut in Week 2 in a 31-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. But next up on the schedule for Peppers was the Patriots, and let's just say that he was really looking to make an impact against the team that moved on from him.
In the third quarter, the Patriots already had multiple turnovers, including a fumble by Rhamondre Stevenson. But with Antonio Gibson carrying the rock, Peppers dove and forced the fumble, allowing the Steelers to recover.
Jabrill Peppers forces fumble against Patriots in ultimate revenge
Peppers had been with the Patriots since the 2022 season after a three-year tenure with the New York Giants. Peppers had been a consistent force on New England's defense. He never made the Pro Bowl, but he was solid.
Peppers admitted this week that he was a bit more motivated to face the Patriots after they cut him.
“I’m the type of guy that this does mean a little more for me,” Peppers told Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. “This is the first time I had a situation like this — getting cut and then playing the team that cuts you like two weeks later. Typically, in other places, I was there the whole year and then they didn’t sign me back. That happened with the Giants and Cleveland. I’m used to that. You can’t let your emotions get the best of you. You have to treat it like another game, but if I’m being honest, it’s definitely going to be a little extra for me.”
We could tell that facing the Patriots did mean "a little extra" for the safety, as he forced the Patriots to turn over the football again.