Former Patriots DB Dreamt About Revenge Game With Steelers

Jabrill Peppers spent three seasons with the New England Patriots, and starred as one of the team's best defensive player. The former captain made the initial 53-man roster this summer, but after a number of roster moves, the Patriots parted ways with Peppers — a move that caught him by surprise.

After signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers two weeks ago, he was in line for a revenge game against his former team. In Week 3 at Gillette Stadium, Peppers played a major role in Pittsburgh's 21-14 win over New England.

Peppers recorded six total tackles and recovered one of the Patriots' four fumbles. The recovery, coming from a turnover from Antonio Gibson, let Peppers run down the field and let the former Patriots star bask in his new threads.

"Couldn't have scripted it any better unless it was a pick-six," Peppers said. "I had a dream last night that I made a play, and then the little celebration I did, that's what I did in my dream and it held true."

Did Peppers need the win in his return to his old stomping grounds?

"I needed this one," said Peppers, who was on the receiving end of one of the Steelers' game balls postgame. "It feels good right now, I'm not going to lie."

A pass thrown from Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow intended for Bengals tight end Tanner Hudson is almost caught by New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers (5) during the Bengals home opener against the New England Patriots at Paycor Stadium Sunday, September 8, 2024. | Cara Owsley / USA TODAY NETWORK

His release — Peppers said it was an eight on a 1-10 scale by how much it caught him by surprise — let Pittsburgh swoop in to grab him. He says it's just part of the business of the NFL.

"Sometimes you’re not good enough, but I definitely wanted the opportunity to show them that I can still play in this league at a high level, so I think I did a pretty good job of that today," Peppers said.

As for his teammates, they know what it's like to come into your old stadium and pull off a win. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had done that just two weeks ago when he beat the New York Jets to open the season.

"I think as former players, when you're playing former teams, that's what you want," Rodgers said postgame. "You want to make a big play and make them think about what they lost. So, there's always that every single week, there's a guy that's facing his former team, probably, and you'd like to get him the ball or like to have him make some plays. But he was definitely happy in the locker room."

Peppers was happy, but still made sure to give love to the teammates he shared the locker room with this past summer.

"I love all those guys," Peppers said. "I wish them the best — just not if they see us later on down the year. But I wish nothing but success for those guys, man."

Make sure you bookmark New England Patriots on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns, and so much more!