Report: Patriots Sign P Jake Bailey To Contract Extension
FOXBORO — Though the New England Patriots’ 2019 draft class has seen its share of recent departures, one of its members is being rewarded for his valuable contributions to the team.
According to a Monday morning ESPN report, punter Jake Bailey and the Pats have reached agreement on a four-year, $13.5 million contract that includes $6.5 million fully guaranteed and runs through the 2025 season.
The new deal makes Bailey one of the NFL’s three highest-paid punters.
Since arriving in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Bailey has been one of the top punters in the NFL. Over his three seasons in New England, the Stanford product has booted 185 punts, amassing 8,632 yards, averaging 46.7 yards per punt. In 2020, Bailey was named a First Team All-Pro, while also earning a Pro Bowl selection. He is also quite adept as the Pats kickoff specialist, averaging a 53.7 touchback percentage from 227 career kickoffs. Still, Bailey will be looking to improve upon his 2021 performance — a season in which he struggled with accuracy and had three punts blocked.
Though a camp competition was highly unlikely to emerge, the Pats did sign undrafted rookie punter Jake Julien, shortly after the conclusion of the draft. The 23-year-old spent five seasons punting for the Eastern Michigan University Eagles. He averaged 43.4 yard per punt across his career. The Canadian-born right footer is still expected to compete for a spot on the Pats practice squad, with Bailey almost certainly expected to remain in the starting role.
Though specifics of the deal have yet to be revealed, ESPN estimates that Bailey’s 2022 cap charge is expected to be reduced to around $1.85 million. This would give the Patriots about $4.75 to 5 million in overall space. Last week, New England agreed to a two-year contract extension with defensive lineman Davon Godchaux. The move was also made with the intent of clearing cap space,
Bailey had missed the first two days of 2022 training camp practices with an undisclosed illness. He returned to the field on Friday as a full participant. As the second week of training camp begins in Foxboro, the manner in which the Patriots invest their newfound financial flexibility in the coming days and weeks will be something on which to keep a watchful eye.
