The New York Giants are once again near the bottom of the NFL. At 1-5, things look dire for the Big Apple’s blue team. Not only are Giants fans feeling defeated, but seemingly the players are, too. Safety Jabrill Peppers seemed visibly and vocally defeated after practice today.
Jabrill Peppers: “I just want to win”
In 2019, the New York Giants traded away Odell Beckham Jr to the Cleveland Browns. One of the big pieces they got in return was safety Jabrill Peppers. Since then, Peppers has established himself as one of the team’s leaders, earning a captain’s patch two years in a row.
In 2020, Jabrill Peppers put together a career year for the Giants. He totaled 91 combined tackles, 2.5 sacks, 8 tackles for loss, and 1 interception. Jabrill was the focal point of New York’s defense. He played 88% of the team’s defensive snaps last season. So far this year, Jabrill Peppers’s playing time has been reduced significantly. Peppers has only been on the field for 61% of the Giants’ snaps in 2021.
Seeing his role reduced to that of a fringe starter/backup is puzzling for Jabrill Peppers, and also defeating. The New York Giants look like they cannot even buy a win some weeks, getting blown out each of their last two games. Peppers is a player that has been brought up in trade rumors in the past, and after his comments today, it seems like a strong possibility that the Giants ship Jabrill off to a new team.
When asked if he still wants to be on the Giants, Jabrill Peppers responded with: “I just want to win, baby.” Not exactly a confident answer from Jabrill. It seems like the safety’s future with the Giants is in question.
Jabrill Peppers’s answers in today’s media session were short. He seemed visibly and vocally upset. The New York Giants will need to turn things around and start winning some games if they want to keep their safety around for the long run. If not, then Jabrill Peppers could be making his way to a new team.