New England Patriots punter Jake Bailey will take action over his suspension.
New England officially suspended the punter and rookie cornerback Jack Jones on Friday, which were made retroactive to Dec. 31. The two were dealing with back and knee injuries, respectively.
Jones’ suspension reportedly stemmed from the rookie being late to rehab sessions. Bailey has been in and out of practice over the last couple of weeks, and his suspension was due to “differing viewpoints on if Bailey was ready to return to game action.”
But the 25-year-old, who signed a lucrative contract this past offseason, will be taking action, according to his agent.
“While Jake Bailey was on (injured reserve), he never missed a single treatment, meeting or practice” Doug Hendrickson wrote in a statement via NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. “He was hoping to come off IR to play last weekend, but Jake was informed he was being suspended these last two games. This comes as a surprise given his full participation during injury reserve. We have filed a grievance to fight this unknown suspension.”
Bailey had struggled this season prior to his back injury. He returned to practice on Dec. 21, which gave the Patriots 21 days to activate him to the 53-man roster. New England head coach Bill Belichick spoke to reporters Friday and said Bailey’s IR clock had run out.
Patriots salary cap guru Miguel Benzan noted the suspension would void the guarantee on his 2023 salary. New England could cut the Pro Bowl punter next month and create $55,000 in cap space.
Bailey and his agent likely are fighting the suspension for this reason.
New England will wrap up its regular season this Sunday against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. The Patriots can clinch a playoff spot with a victory.
