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What Jabrill Peppers said about his surprising release from the Patriots
"You play a long time in this league, you know, you're going to get traded or cut."
Jabrill Peppers spoke to the media on Wednesday for the first time since he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The 29-year-old former Patriots captain was released by New England in a surprising move on cutdown day last month. Peppers had just signed a contract extension with the team last year.
“It is what it is, sometimes you’re not good enough,” Peppers said in a video posted to YouTube by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “You play a long time in this league, you know, you’re going to get traded or cut.”
“It is what it is. I’m happy [Mike] Tomlin made the call. He’s definitely a coach that I said I wanted to play for before I retire, and it just happened a lot sooner than I thought. I’m happy to be here.”
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Patriots coach Mike Vrabel did not elaborate much when asked why New England released Peppers when asked last month, other than saying that it was what “we felt like was in the best interest of the team.” Vrabel said he had a lot of respect for Peppers and that it was a tough decision.
Now Peppers is set to return to Foxborough as an opponent when Pittsburgh visits the Patriots next Sunday.
“Historically there’s always been a great defense here,” Peppers said of his choice to sign with Pittsburgh. “There’s always been great continuity at the head coaching position. Great tradition. So, it was a no-brainer for me.”
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Peppers missed all but six games last season after landing on the commissioner’s exempt list during an assault and battery trial he was ultimately acquitted in.
New England opted for a reset at the two safety spots, cutting Peppers and benching longtime starter Kyle Dugger. They went with rookie Craig Woodson and veteran Jaylinn Hawkins as the starters for Sunday’s Week 1 loss to the Raiders.
Peppers said is new role in Pittsburgh will depend on how quickly he can learn Pittsburgh’s defensive scheme.
“It’s basically on me, how fast I can pick up the defense,” Peppers said. “That’s just on me to be a professional, get in the playbook, and try to pick it up as fast as I can so I can try to get out there and help this ball club win some football games.”
Peppers is confident that he’ll fit right in once he gets up to speed.
“I think it’s a great fit,” Peppers said. “It’s just a little different things than I’m used to doing, so just got to lock in on the details, get out there and shake the rust off. So, I should be alright.”
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