Patriots Reportedly Extend Punter Making Him Third Highest Paid In The NFL
New England Patriots punter Jake Bailey has reportedly agreed to a four-year extension worth $13.5 million ($6.5 million fully guaranteed) per ESPN’s Adam Schefter in a tweet sent out at precisely 8:00 AM this Monday.
Jake Bailey was a fifth-round draft pick of the New England Patriots in 2019. He played in all 16 games as a rookie, punting 81 times which was tied for second for most punts that year and accrued the fourth most punting yards in the league.
Patriot Special Teams Advantage
Besides punting, he’s also responsible for kickoff duty and is the primary holder during field goals. During his sophomore 2020 campaign, he put together a pro-bowl season and earned himself a slot as a first-team All-Pro. That season he booted it at a 48.7 yard per punt average and was tied for the second-longest kick on the year with a 71-yarder.
Based on the collective bargaining agreement with the NFL, a non-first-round draft pick who makes the Pro Bowl within their first three seasons is due a significant pay raise under their proven-performance escalator rule. Bailey’s base salary had increased from $965,000 to $3,986,000 for the final year of his rookie contract. This was somewhat restructured in his new contract so that New England could free up some cap space this year.
The contract on Bailey freed up $1.85 million in cap space for New England, increasing their overall cap space to around $4.5 million. The contract extension is good through the 2025 NFL season and makes Jake Bailey the third highest paid punter in the NFL after Australian import and Seattle Seahawks punter Michael Dickson, and Washington Commanders Pro-Bowl punter Tress Way,
The move solidifies the Special Teams core unit of the New England Patriots, along with the two-year, five million dollar contract given to kicker Nick Folk during free agency. In addition, long snapper Joe Cordona is in the final year of his four-year extension. Last week along with a quote about kicker Nick Folk, Belichick is quoted as saying this:
“We’re fortunate we’ve been able to have Jake and Joe as a good unit here for an extended period of time. So that’s always good.”
Good is one of Belichick’s least used words in his vernacular, and it was probably apparent around that time that Bailey was going to receive an extension.
Conclusion
Along with Jake Bailey, the New England Patriots also roster a rookie punter named Jake Julien, who was an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Michigan. With a $705,000 salary based on whether or not he makes the final 53-man roster for the season, he’ll likely be cut based on the extension given to Bailey.
The Patriots kick off their season on August 11th at 7:00 PM in a preseason slate against the New York Football Giants at Metlife Stadium. The man kicking that ball off will be non-other than New England Patriots Punter Jake Bailey. The first New England Patriots game of the regular season will be held at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens against the Miami Dolphins on September 11th at 1:00 PM.
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