Patriots Re-Sign Safety Jabrill Peppers

Jabrill Peppers is returning to a New England Patriots defense he helped to seven touchdowns last season.

The New England Patriots still don't have a No. 1 receiver. But on the second day of the NFL's "legal tampering" period they did retain a couple of top defensive backs.

After losing Jakobi Meyers to the Las Vegas Raiders Tuesday morning, the Patriots responded by attempting to keep a couple of their own players: cornerback Myles Bryant and safety Jabrill Peppers.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the 27-year-old Peppers will stay in Foxboro and sign a two-year deal.

Peppers was a pleasant surprise in 2022. He arrived in New England in March 2022, signing a one-year contract after spending his career with the New York Giants and coming off a torn ACL.

Last season he played in all 17 games and a total of 398 snaps, being on the field for 35 percent of the Pats' defensive action. He played safety and linebacker in passing situations, teaming with Devin McCourty, Kyle Dugger and Adrian Phillips to form a productive quarter at the back end of the defense.

He recorded 52 tackles — missing just one all season — and recovered a fumble. With McCourty announcing his retirement, Peppers becomes more valuable in the secondary.

For his career, Peppers has appeared in 78 games between his stints in Cleveland, New York and New England. He has four interceptions, four forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries and 4.5 sacks.

The Patriots also are keeping cornerback Jonathan Jones, assuring their Top 10 defense remains stable from last season.

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