Patriots make decision on player who filed grievance against them
Nov 18, 2021; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick walks on the field before a game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots obviously have no time to make amends.
The NFL transaction wire revealed on Friday that the Patriots have cut punter Jake Bailey (per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network). The move ends Bailey’s tenure in New England after four seasons.
Bailey, 25, had been a rock for the Patriots these last few years. He became the team’s first-choice punter shortly after being drafted in 2019 and was a First Team All-Pro as well as a Pro Bowler during the 2020 NFL campaign.
But things soured between Bailey and the Patriots in 2022 after he was placed on injured reserve in Week 9 due to a back injury. The two sides disagreed on Bailey’s timeline for a return to game action, and the team eventually suspended Bailey (along with one other player) ahead of their Week 18 game against the Buffalo Bills. Bailey then proceeded to file a grievance against the Patriots over the suspension.
Ben Volin of the Boston Globe notes that Bailey was supposed to have a fully guaranteed $2.1 million salary for the 2023 season but that the suspension allowed the Patriots to void it. Bailey’s grievance against the team still has yet to be resolved, and now it looks like there will be even more acrimony.
