The New England Patriots made a move to clear some cap space ahead of Monday’s unofficial start to free agency.
Punter Jake Bailey was released by the Patriots after four seasons in New England, the team announced Friday.
The release of Bailey doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Bailey struggled for much of the 2022 season before he was placed on injured reserve in November with a back injury. Ahead of the Patriots’ regular-season finale, Bailey was actually placed on the suspended list retroactive to the week prior.
The team never said why Bailey was suspended, but it was speculated it was related to how he approached his rehab. Bailey’s agent said that they were filing a grievance for his “unknown suspension.”
It’s currently unknown how much the Patriots will save in cap space because future guaranteed money gets voided when a player gets suspended. However, with his release this early in the offseason, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Bailey’s contract for 2023 didn’t have guaranteed money.
Bailey signed a four-year, $13.5 million extension with $6.3 million guaranteed in August, making him one of the league’s highest-paid punters.
But Bailey failed to live up to the contract in 2022. He averaged a career-low 42.1 yards per punt, which was the worst in the league at the time of his injured reserve placement.
Bailey performed well prior to 2022. In fact, he was statistically one of the game’s better punters, leading him to be named a first-team All-Pro in 2020.
The Patriots selected Bailey in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
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