Add punter to the list of needs the Patriots now have this off-season.
The team announced Friday afternoon that it was releasing former All-Pro punter Jake Bailey less than a year after he signed a contract extension.
Bailey, who earned First Team All-Pro honors in 2020, struggled mightily to regain his form in the years since, battling injuries and missing the last eight games of the 2022 season. He posted the second-worst net punting average in the league last year (35.3).
Then came the punter's odd suspension by the team, which Bailey's camp claimed happened due to disagreements about when he could officially return from injured reserve. Bailey filed a grievance against New England for the "unknown" suspension, which conveniently voided most of the $6.25 million in guaranteed money he was set to earn in following years.
Seems like the Patriots might have found a clever way of getting out of a mistake.
Fortunately, punters are relatively easy to find in free agency or the undrafted market, so the Patriots shouldn't have to worry about replacing Bailey. That said, there's been plenty of smoke around the team being interested in drafting Michigan punter Jake Moody.
All that we know for certain is that Jake Bailey is no longer a Patriot.
