Giants Country

Former Giants Safety Jabrill Peppers Inks Deal with Patriots

Jabrill Peppers, the former Giants starting strong safety and primary punt returner, is moving on to a fresh start with the New England Patriots.

Patricia Traina

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Joe Judge might not be the Giants head coach anymore--he's not even the head coach of the New England Patriots, for that matter. 

But it would not be surprising if Judge, who during his time in New York was a self-professed big fan of safety Jabrill Peppers, was behind the New England Patriots' move to sign the unrestricted free agent.

According to Adam Schefter, Peppers signed a one-year deal with the Patriots, reuniting with Judge, who was re-hired by head coach Bill Belichick as an offensive assistant. Peppers, who is recovering from a torn ACL, is expected to be ready for the start of training camp, per Schefter.

Before being relieved of his head coaching duties by the Giants, Judge often spoke glowingly of Peppers, a two-time team captain for Judge's Giants for whom Judge showed empathy given the player's injury status.

“It’s tough for a guy like Jabrill, who puts so much into the team, puts the team first, does everything you ask him to do to the best of his ability, brings so much juice to the team, is a productive player on the field, and wears so many hats for you as a team,” Judge said last season after Peppers, acquired in the trade with Cleveland for receiver Odell Beckham Jr, tore his ACL.

“He’s been a great leader for us. It’s always, ‘Whatever you need, coach, here I go,’" Judge said.

Peppers’ team-first attitude appeared to Judge, who almost certainly would have lobbied hard to bring the defensive back and punt returner back to the Giants had things not turned out as they did.

“This is a guy I value a lot in this program. I’d love to have this guy going forward, I told him that directly.”

Judge will now get his wish, as Peppers will bring his leadership and talents to New England for Belichick and the rest of the organization.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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