There’s been a lot of intra-divisional player movement in the AFC East early in the free agency frenzy. The latest player who may have his eyes on joining a division rival is a former All-Pro player from the New England Patriots.
According to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, former Patriots punter Jake Bailey is setting up a visit with the Miami Dolphins. Bailey was recently released by the Patriots after being suspended at the tail end of the 2022 season.
A fifth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Bailey earned Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro honors in 2020 after averaging 48.7 yards per punt. He downed more than 56-percent of his punts inside the 20 that season.
The move comes mere hours after the Patriots signed former Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki to a one-year, $9 million contract. Gesicki had been one of the Dolphins’ top receivers for the past five years.
An injury to Jake Bailey limited him to just nine games in 2022 and his replacement, Michael Palardy, put up similar and mostly better numbers in Bailey’s absence.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick indicated that Bailey still had a future in New England following his suspension. But apparently Belichick changed his mind.
With Thomas Morstead now a free agent after spending the whole 2022 season as the Dolphins punter, Bailey could be in a position to be a starter again and face off against his old team twice this year.