UPDATE (4:00 p.m. ET): Former New England Patriots punter Jake Bailey signed with the Miami Dolphins on Friday, the team announced.
He’ll face the Patriots twice this coming season.
ORIGINAL STORY: The Patriots’ 2023 schedule could feature a couple of Jake Bailey revenge games.
Bailey, whom New England released last week, visited the AFC East rival Miami Dolphins on Friday, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Bailey was a first-team All-Pro punter just two years ago, but his effectiveness plummeted in 2022. The 2019 fifth-round draft pick ranked last in the NFL in both yards per punt and net punting average this past season before landing on injured reserve in November.
Following his move to injured reserve, Bailey received a rare team-imposed suspension, voiding the guaranteed money in the four-year contract extension he’d signed just months earlier. Bailey’s representatives filed a grievance over his suspension, the outcome of which remains unclear.
Bailey wouldn’t be the first Patriots special teamer to land in Miami after being let go in New England. Ace gunner Justin Bethel did the same after the Patriots released him during final cuts last summer.
The Patriots do not have a punter under contract for the 2023 season, making it likely they’ll target the position during next month’s NFL draft.
