Punter Jake Bailey has had quite the year in New England. The punter signed a four-year extension before training camp started last summer. During the middle of the season, Bailey suffered a back injury and was placed on IR on November 19. Bailey was designated to return on December 21 but didn’t and eventually went on the suspended list. Bailey filed a grievance against the Patriots, appealing his suspension. Bailey had been suspended due to a disagreement on when he should return to game action after his back injury.
The Patriots announced the release of Jake Bailey on Friday afternoon.
Bailey was a first-team All-Pro selection in 2020 but struggled at the beginning of the year for the Patriots, averaging 42.1 yards a punt.
Bailey, 25, joined the Patriots as a fifth-round draft pick by the Patriots in 2019. The Stanford product played in 58 straight games before missing time this season. However, Bailey had a down year, as he was last in the league in yards per punt.
Veteran Micheal Palardy relieved Bailey and took over punting duties for the remainder of last season. Palardy is not under contract for the 2023 NFL season, and the Patriots currently have zero punters under contract for next season.
My name is Ben Belford-Peltzman and I am the creator and writer of The Patriots Beat. I am a 17-year kid who is an optimistic pessimist about the City of Champions. I started The Patriots Beat in August of 2022 and never expected to grow so much but here we are. Feel free to email Thepatriotsbeat@gmail.com with any inquires.
