Despite the fact that the New England Patriots draft class of 2019 has seen more than its fair share of departures in recent weeks, one of its members is receiving recognition for the significant contributions he has made to the organization.
An ESPN article published on Monday morning indicated that the Patriots and punter Jake Bailey have agreed to a four-year, $13.5 million contract, with $6.5 million fully guaranteed, through the 2025 season. With this new contract, Bailey is now one of the three highest-paid punters in the NFL.
Is Jake Bailey a good punter?
Bailey, who was selected in the fifth round of this year’s NFL Draft, has quickly established himself as one of the league’s best punters. The Stanford product has spent the last three years with New England, where he has punted 185 times for 8,632 total yards (46.8 yards per punt).
In 2020, Bailey was selected for the Pro Bowl and the first team all-pro. With a 53.7 percent touchback average over 227 career kickoffs, he is also a valuable contributor as the Patriots’ kickoff specialist. Nonetheless, Bailey will try to do better than he did in 2021, a year in which he had trouble with accuracy and saw three of his punts blocked.
The Patriots signed undrafted rookie punter Jake Julien shortly after the draft concluded, despite the low likelihood of a competition developing in training camp. The Eagles of Eastern Michigan University had the 23-year-old punter on their team for a total of five seasons throughout his time there.
Over the course of his career, he averaged 43 yards per punt. Although Bailey will likely maintain his starting position, the Canadian-born right footer will continue to push for a spot on the Pats’ practice squad.