MILLS RETURNS ON A RESTRUCTURED DEAL
The Patriots and defensive back Jalen Mills agreed to terms on a revised one-year deal Wednesday, four days after the team intended to release him, a source told the Herald.
Mills’ new deal is a one-year pact worth up to $6.1 million. His expected release was reported last week, a move that reduced the Pats’ already questionable cornerback depth. However next season, Mills plans to play safety, per The Score.
Mills enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career playing safety with the Eagles in 2020, his last year before joining the Patriots. He posted a career-high 74 tackles, one interception, a forced fumble and 1.5 sacks. Upon signing Mills as a free agent the spring of 2021, the Pats expected him to continue playing safety in training camp but moved him to corner, a position he played from 2016-19, to offset the injury loss of top corner Stephon Gilmore.
Last season, Mills recorded 31 tackles, five pass deflections and two interceptions over 10 games. He missed every game after Thanksgiving last season due to a groin injury. Mills also dealt with a hurt hamstring earlier in the season, and his availability factored into the team’s decision to release him, according to a source.
If Mills plays safety, he’ll join Kyle Dugger, Adrian Phillips and Jabrill Peppers atop the depth chart. The Patriots’ most common defensive personnel grouping the last few seasons has been a three-safety nickel package. It’s unknown if the staff envisions any of their top safeties as being capable of filling Devin Mccourty’s shoes as a traditional free safety, who coordinates the defense and serves as the last line of defense in single-high coverages.
Mills played free safety in Philadelphia, but served as the Patriots’ No. 2 corner each of the past two years.
The Score first reported Mills’ return to New England.
Bailey opens up on struggles, suspension
Former Patriots punter Jake Bailey sat for an introductory press conference Wednesday in Miami, where he recently signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins.
Asked about his struggles in New England, he gave an unexpected reason: squatting.
Bailey said the exercise threw him off last season, when he ranked dead last in yards
per punt and net punting average. The 25-year- old also missed several weeks on injured reserve with a listed back injury.
“A lot of it had to do with squatting a ton. I did not grow up squatting, loading my back with back squats. I didn’t do it at all in college. I tried to be more a part of the program, and it just really backfired the whole season I was doing it,” Bailey said, via the Palm Beach Post.
“It really made my accuracy struggle. And it just was kind of a sad, sad thing to have to happen. I haven’t squatted since, really, Week 15 or 16 and feel pretty good.”
Aside from saying it had been resolved, Bailey declined to comment on the grievance he filed after the Patriots suspended him for the final two weeks of the season. The suspension voided the guarantees in his new contract, which last summer made him among the highest-paid punters in the NFL. The Pats expected Bailey, a 2020 All-pro, to bounce back from a down 2021 campaign, but instead he endured the worst season of his career.
The Patriots released him on March 10.
“You know, there’s a lot to unpack,” Bailey told local reporters. “And a lot of it is between them and me, partly. I’ve talked to Coach (Bill) Belichick about this and how, you know, we want to talk about all this stuff. Obviously, you don’t want to end up on a list like that, ever. And, you know, confusion was a lot of it. And I think we’re just past it, now at this point. It was something that happened. And it was something that was unfortunate for both sides. And you know, now I think both parties are in a better situation.”
Once the suspension became public, Bailey’s agent released a statement that announced the grievance.
“While Jake Bailey was on IR, he never missed a single treatment, meeting or practice,” his agent, Doug Hendrickson wrote after the suspension was reported. “He was hoping to come off IR to play, but Jake was informed he was being suspended these last two games. This comes as a surprise given his full participation during injury reserve. We have filed a grievance to fight this unknown suspension.”
The Patriots are now one of two teams in the NFL without a punter on their roster.
Extra points
Former Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia will be recognized with an Award of Excellence from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Hall announced Wednesday. Scarnecchia coached in New England for 34 yards and won five Super Bowl titles. He is widely regarded as one of the best offensive line coaches of all time … The Patriots had five evaluators at Ohio State’s Pro Day on Wednesday, according to reports. Wide receivers coach Ross Douglas and offensive line coach Adrian Klemm were among those in attendance … New Bills running back and ex-patriot Damien Harris addressed reporters in Buffalo for the first time Wednesday. Among other comments, Harris, 26, said of facing the Patriots in the division: “It’ll definitely be exciting to see a bunch of familiar faces and people that I got a lot of love for. And a lot of great relationships that I formed over the years, the last four years. It’ll definitely be great to see those familiar faces twice a year.”