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Matthew Schmidt is a sportswriter who covers NFL, MLB, NBA and college football and basketball. He has been writing professionally since 2011 and has also worked for On SI, Bleacher Report, FanRag Sports, ClutchPoints, NFLAnalysis.net and NBAAnalysis.net. He was born and raised in New Jersey and has a rather eclectic group of favorite teams: the Boston Celtics, New York Giants and Miami Marlins.
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The Las Vegas Raiders could definitely use some help in their secondary after losing multiple players in free agency this offseason, and a shocking option just became available for them.
The New England Patriots surprisingly released safety Jabrill Peppers after roster cutdown day, apparently due to concerns that Peppers would not fit in the Patriots scheme. But at just 29 years old and will plenty of productive campaigns under his belt, Peppers would be a great addition to any NFL squad.
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Ted Nguyen of The Athletic has specifically cited the Raiders as a potential landing spot, which should not come as too much of a surprise given that Las Vegas lost Tre’von Moehrig earlier this offseason and has not properly replaced him.
“Raiders would make a ton of sense,” Nguyen posted on X. “They’ve been wanting an upgrade at box safety so [Jeremy] Chinn could play more nickel. They could also pick his brain about the NE defense and there’s the revenge factor in Week 1.”
Raiders would make a ton of sense. They’ve been wanting an upgrade at box safety so Chinn could play more nickel. They could also pick his brain about the NE defense and there’s the revenge factor in week 1. https://t.co/Vsit0Qdug6
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) August 29, 2025
Peppers played in six games last season due to injuries and off-the-field issues, registering 40 tackles, an interception and a couple of passes defended. In 2023, however, he appeared in 15 contests and finished with 78 tackles, a sack, a pair of picks and eight passes defended.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – AUGUST 23: Head coach Pete Carroll of the Las Vegas Raiders walks on the field prior to an NFL preseason 2025 game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on August…
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – AUGUST 23: Head coach Pete Carroll of the Las Vegas Raiders walks on the field prior to an NFL preseason 2025 game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on August 23, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
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The University of Michigan product was originally selected by the Cleveland Browns with the 25th overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft. He spent two years with the Browns before being traded to the New York Giants that sent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. back to Cleveland in 2019.
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While Peppers isn’t exactly prime Ed Reed, he has been productive wherever he has been and would comprise a fine addition for a Raiders club that definitely showed improvement defensively last season, but still had some obvious holes.
Funny enough, Las Vegas will face the New England Patriots in its season opener on Sept. 7. Perhaps that will give Peppers the opportunity to get revenge against his former team.
For more on the Raiders and NFL, head to Newsweek Sports.