Jabrill Peppers

Jabrill Peppers Bio

Jabrill Ahmad Peppers (born October 4, 1995) is an American professional football safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). The 30-year-old was a two-time college football All-American for the Michigan Wolverines, earning unanimous All-American honors in 2016. Peppers was selected in the first round by the Cleveland Browns in the 2017 NFL draft. He has also played for the New York Giants and the New England Patriots. His career spans nine NFL seasons with four teams, amassing over 500 career tackles and seven interceptions.

Early Life and Background

Jabrill Ahmad Peppers was born in East Orange, New Jersey. He attended Don Bosco Preparatory High School in Ramsey, New Jersey, before transferring to Paramus Catholic High School in Paramus, New Jersey. Peppers also played youth football for the Montclair Bulldogs, a Pop Warner team from Montclair, New Jersey. He started as a cornerback in his freshman year at Don Bosco before also taking over as a running back as a sophomore. With Peppers, Don Bosco won consecutive New Jersey state championships in 2010 and 2011, and was the top-ranked team in the nation by USA Today in 2011.

At Paramus Catholic, Peppers led the Paladins to another state championship over Bergen Catholic in 2012. He was named Player of the Year by MSG Varsity after his junior season. In his senior year, Peppers led Paramus Catholic to another state title, defeating St. Peter’s Prep. This made Peppers a state championship winner in all four years of his high school career. He also participated in the 2013 Under Armour All-America Game.

Beyond football, Peppers was a talented track athlete. He set the New Jersey Non-Public Class A outdoor 100-meter dash record with a time of 10.77 seconds and has a personal-best of 10.51 seconds. In his senior year at Paramus Catholic, he won both the 100 and 200-meter dashes in New Jersey’s 2013 Meet of Champions, becoming only the second person ever to accomplish that feat.

Path to American Football

The Rivals.com recruiting network identified Peppers as a five-star recruit in the Class of 2014. On May 26, 2013, Peppers announced his verbal commitment to the Michigan Wolverines in a live telecast on ESPN. He was regarded as the head of Michigan’s 2014 recruiting class. ESPN ranked him as the second-best recruit in the class of 2014, behind only running back Leonard Fournette. Peppers redshirted his true freshman season in 2014 after sustaining an injury in his first career start against Appalachian State.

In the 2015 season, Peppers had a new head coach in Jim Harbaugh. Peppers was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and named to the All-Big Ten defensive first-team. He was also named Second-team All-American by CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated. He was a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award. Peppers played a combined 986 snaps, with 50 on offense, 765 on defense, and 171 on special teams. On defense, he registered 45 total tackles, 5.5 tackles-for-loss, and 10 pass breakups.

Following the 2016 season, Peppers was named the Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year, Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year, and Rodgers-White Return Specialist of the Year. He became a Unanimous All-American. Peppers became the first player in Big Ten history to collect three individual honors in a single year. Peppers helped lead a unit that finished first in eight Big Ten defensive categories. He contributed a career-best 72 tackles, 16 tackles-for-loss, four sacks, one interception, and one forced fumble. He was awarded the Paul Hornung Award, honoring the nation’s most versatile college football player, and the Lott Trophy. Peppers finished fifth in voting for the 2016 Heisman Trophy. On January 10, 2017, Peppers announced that he would be entering the 2017 NFL draft, forgoing his final two seasons of NCAA eligibility.

Jabrill Peppers Career

Early Career (2017-2018)

The Cleveland Browns selected Peppers in the first round (25th overall) of the 2017 NFL draft. He was the third safety drafted in 2017. On July 22, 2017, the Browns signed Peppers to a fully guaranteed four-year, $10.70 million contract that included a signing bonus of $5.60 million. He entered training camp slated as the starting strong safety and was named the starting free safety to start the regular season. He was also named the starting kick returner and starting punt returner. On September 10, 2017, Peppers made his professional regular season debut in the Browns’ home-opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He finished his rookie season with 57 combined tackles (44 solo), three pass deflections, and one interception in 13 games and 13 starts.

In 2018, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams moved Peppers to strong safety after the Browns traded for Damarious Randall. Peppers was named the starting strong safety to begin the regular season alongside free safety Damarious Randall. In Week 15, Peppers made six solo tackles, intercepted a pass thrown by Case Keenum, and made the game-winning sack for an 11-yard loss with 43 seconds remaining as the Browns defeated the Denver Broncos 17-16. He finished the 2018 season with one sack, 79 combined tackles (52 solo), one interception, and five passes defended.

New York Giants Era (2019-2021)

On March 13, 2019, the New York Giants executed a trade with the Cleveland Browns, agreeing to send the Browns Odell Beckham Jr. and Olivier Vernon. In return, the Giants received Peppers and Kevin Zeitler, as well as their first and third-round picks in the 2019 NFL draft. Head coach Pat Shurmur named him the starting strong safety to begin the season. On September 29, 2019, Peppers returned an interception thrown by Dwayne Haskins to tight end Jeremy Sprinkle for 32 yards to score his first career touchdown during a 24-3 win against Washington. In Week 9, Peppers set a season-high with 12 combined tackles and forced a fumble on wide receiver Randall Cobb. On December 7, 2019, the Giants placed him on injured reserve for the remainder of the season due to a transverse process fracture. He finished with 76 combined tackles in 11 games and 11 starts.

In 2020, new head coach Joe Judge retained Peppers as the starting strong safety. He was named a captain as part of the special teams unit. In Week 9, Peppers intercepted a pass by Alex Smith during a 23-20 victory at Washington. In Week 13, he made a career-high eight-yard sack on Russell Wilson as the Giants won 17-12 at Seattle. Peppers appeared in 15 games and started 14 during the 2020 NFL season and finished with 91 combined tackles (57 solo), one interception, 11 passes defensed, and set a career-high with 2.5 sacks.

In 2021, Peppers returned to training camp slated as the starting strong safety. On October 17, 2021, he set a season-high with nine combined tackles during a loss to the Los Angeles Rams. In Week 7, Peppers made four solo tackles and sacked Sam Darnold before exiting in the third quarter after rupturing his ACL during a six-yard punt return as the Giants defeated the Carolina Panthers 25-3. On October 26, 2021, the Giants officially placed Peppers on injured reserve after suffering a torn ACL and high ankle sprain. He finished the season with 29 combined tackles in six games and five starts.

New England Patriots Era (2022-2024)

On April 4, 2022, the New England Patriots signed Peppers to a one-year, $2.00 million contract. He was reunited with former Giants head coach Joe Judge, who accepted an assistant coach role with the Patriots. Peppers entered training camp slated as a backup safety as he recovered from undergoing surgery to repair his torn ACL. During his first season with New England, Peppers was relegated to a backup role and was a replacement when injuries necessitated his inclusion. He appeared in all 17 games with five starts and finished with 60 combined tackles and one fumble recovery.

On March 17, 2023, the New England Patriots signed Peppers to a two-year, $9.00 million contract extension that included $6.00 million guaranteed. He opted to change his uniform number from No. 3 to No. 5 after it became available. Peppers unexpectedly beat out Adrian Phillips for the starting role at free safety following the retirement of Devin McCourty and was paired with strong safety Kyle Dugger. In Week 7, he set a season-high with nine combined tackles and intercepted a pass by Josh Allen during a 29-25 win against the Buffalo Bills. In Week 14, he intercepted a pass thrown by Mitchell Trubisky as the Patriots won 21-18 at the Pittsburgh Steelers. Peppers finished the 2023 NFL season with 78 combined tackles, two interceptions, one sack, and eight pass deflections. He received an overall grade of 87.3 from Pro Football Focus in 2023.

On July 26, 2024, the New England Patriots signed Peppers to a three-year, $24.00 million contract extension that included $11.68 million guaranteed. Following the departure of Bill Belichick, the Patriots promoted Jerod Mayo to head coach. In Week 4, Peppers made seven combined tackles and intercepted a pass by Brock Purdy during a victory at the San Francisco 49ers. On October 9, Peppers was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list due to being arrested for domestic violence and possession of cocaine. On November 25, Peppers was removed from the commissioner’s exempt list and officially reinstated after remaining inactive for eight games. In Week 13, he made a season-high ten combined tackles as the Patriots lost to the Indianapolis Colts. He finished the season with 40 combined tackles, two pass deflections, and one interception in six games. He received an overall grade of 82.3 from Pro Football Focus, which ranked seventh among 171 qualifying safeties in 2024. On August 29, 2025, the Patriots released Peppers before the start of the 2025 season.

Pittsburgh Steelers (2025-Present)

On September 10, 2025, Peppers signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers on a one-year contract. Peppers appeared in 14 games and started two in the 2025 season. He had 16 total tackles and one fumble recovery.

Driving Style and Strengths

Peppers is known for his versatility and ability to line up at multiple positions across the defensive formation. His collegiate career at Michigan showcased his ability to play 15 different positions throughout a single season. Peppers excels in coverage situations and has shown proficiency as a return specialist throughout his career.

Notable Events and Milestones

Peppers scored his first career NFL touchdown on an interception return against Washington in 2019 while playing for the Giants. He was named a team captain during his time with the Giants in 2020. Peppers has been recognized for his special teams contributions throughout his professional career, serving as a starting returner for multiple teams.

Jabrill Peppers Career Wins

Peppers has accumulated 527 career tackles, 5.5 sacks, seven interceptions, six forced fumbles, eight fumble recoveries, 35 pass deflections, and one defensive touchdown across nine NFL seasons. He has also contributed as a return specialist with 1,468 career return yards.

College Highlights

Peppers won the Lott Trophy and Paul Hornung Award in 2016, recognizing him as the nation’s most versatile player. He was named a Unanimous All-American in 2016. Peppers was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Big Ten Linebacker of the Year, and Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year in 2016. In his standout 2016 season at Michigan, Peppers recorded 72 tackles, 16 tackles-for-loss, and four sacks while also contributing on special teams and offense.

Other Wins and Performances

Peppers was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2015. He earned Second-team All-American honors in 2015 and was named to the Freshman All-America Team by the Football Writers Association of America. He was a two-time First-team All-Big Ten selection in 2015 and 2016.

Jabrill Peppers Family

Family Background

Peppers was raised in East Orange, New Jersey by his mother, Ivory Bryant. His father, Terry Peppers, was active in his life until he was seven years old. Peppers’ father was arrested after being charged in a racketeering case as part of the Bloods street gang and was released from prison in 2014. His older brother, Don Curtis, died in January 2010 after being shot while standing at the counter of Lucky Joy Restaurant in Newark, New Jersey.

Personal Life

Peppers maintained a 3.8 GPA through high school and is an avid rapper. He has stated that he has always had an interest in Michigan’s football program and has been a fan of Charles Woodson. He cultivated a relationship with Woodson throughout his time at Michigan. Peppers is a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity, having become a member while an undergraduate at the University of Michigan. In October 2024, Peppers was arrested in Braintree, Massachusetts, on charges involving alleged domestic violence and cocaine possession. On January 24, Peppers was acquitted of all charges.

2025 Season Performance

The 2025 season marked a new chapter in Peppers’ career as he joined the Pittsburgh Steelers. Peppers signed with the Steelers on September 10, 2025, following his release from the New England Patriots. Peppers appeared in 14 games with two starts during the 2025 season. He recorded 16 total tackles and one fumble recovery. His production was limited compared to previous seasons with the Patriots, where he served as a starting safety. The veteran safety continues to provide versatility and depth for the Steelers secondary as he enters his ninth NFL season.