Jabrill Peppers Named Most Underappreciated Patriot

Jabrill Peppers enjoyed an outstanding 2023 season from a personal standpoint. The New England Patriots limped to a 4-13 record, but Peppers’ play at safety was not one of the team’s problems. He received no accolades in terms of a Pro Bowl or All-Pro selection. But those who watched last season unfold saw just how well the veteran played for the Patriots.

CBS Sports believes not enough people appreciated Jabrill Peppers’ performance. The site chose one player from each AFC team they believed deserved more attention for their contributions. Tyler Sulivan wrote, “We’ve combed through the rosters of each team in the AFC and decided to highlight one player on every squad that has gone a bit underappreciated.” Peppers earned that distinction in Foxboro.

Peppers heads into his eighth NFL season in 2024. He spent the past two seasons with the Patriots. It is unclear who Sullivan and CBS Sports believes doesn’t appreciate these players enough. It certainly wasn’t New England Patriots fans. Jabrill Peppers won the 2023 Vince Wilork Award from Patriots Football Now as the “fan favorite” last season.

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Pro Football Focus gave Jabrill Peppers an overall defensive grade of 87.3 for his 2023 play. Of all NFL safeties to play at least 750 snaps, Peppers ranked No. 4 overall and first in the AFC. Not only did Peppers not get selected for the Pro Bowl, his omission wasn’t even considered a snub. NFL.com named 40 Pro Bowl snubs from last season without a mention of the Patriots safety.

Fans appreciate Peppers’ contributions, as did Pro Football Focus. However, the word hasn’t spread throughout national media yet. He is an exceptional football player.

As nice as media recognition is for Jabrill Peppers, a contract extension would be even nicer. Kyle Dugger, his fellow safety in New England, signed a lucrative contract this offseason. Peppers’ contract expires after the upcoming season. This makes him an unrestricted free agent in 2025 without an extension.

Now Eliot Wolf and the New England Patriots can show Jabrill Peppers that he’s not underappreciated by his employers.