Jacob Bailey (born June 18, 1997) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

punter for the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...

College career

While at

, Bailey had the longest punt in the school's history at 84 yards. In four years he punted 185 times and is the all-time team leader in career punt average with 43.8 yards per kick. Bailey was a three-time All-Pac-12 honoree and two-time Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention.

College statistics

Professional career

New England Patriots

2019 season

Bailey was drafted by the

in the fifth round (163rd overall) of the

2019 NFL Draft The 2019 NFL Draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee. The first round was held on April 2 ...

. Upon joining the roster, Bailey competed with incumbent punter Ryan Allen, who had been with the Patriots for 6 seasons. Bailey won the competition, and Allen was released on August 19, 2019, after the Patriots' second preseason game. Bailey serves as the Patriots' holder on field goals, as Allen did. After Patriots kicker

Stephen Gostkowski Stephen Carroll Gostkowski ( ; born January 28, 1984) is an American football former placekicker who played for 15 years in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the New England Patriots. He was selected in the fourth round of th ...

was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

, Bailey took over

kickoff Kickoff or kick-off may refer to * Kick-off (association football) * Kickoff (gridiron football) * ''Kick Off'' (series), a series of computer association football games * ''Kick Off'' (album), a 1985 album by Onyanko Club * ''Kick Off'' (magaz ...

duties as well. On September 25, 2019, he was named AFC

Special Teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

Player of the Week for his efforts against the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

in Week 3. He again won the

American Football Conference The American Football Conference (AFC) is one of the two conferences of the National Football League (NFL), the highest professional level of American football in the United States. The AFC and its counterpart, the National Football Conference ...

Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 11 versus the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

, when he had five punts of 50+ yards and six landing inside the 20.

2020 season

He averaged 48.7 gross yards per punt, had a long of 71, and landed 31 punts inside the 20 yard line. Bailey was one of three Patriots players, along with special teamer

Matthew Slater Matthew Wilson Slater (born September 9, 1985) is an American football wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at UCLA, where he received first-team All-Pac-10 honors, and was ...

and cornerback

Stephon Gilmore Stephon Stiles Gilmore (born September 19, 1990) is an American football cornerback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Carolina and was selected 10th overall by the Buffalo Bills i ...

, named to the

2021 Pro Bowl The 2021 Pro Bowl was to be the National Football League all-star game for the 2020 NFL season, originally scheduled to be played on January 31, 2021, at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. On October 14, 2020, the NFL announced that it had c ...

. In January 2021, Bailey was named to the 2020 AP All-Pro first team at punter, making him the first Patriots punter so honored. He received 26 of 50 votes. Bailey was one of three Patriots special teamers named to the team;

Gunner Olszewski Kaleb Gunner Olszewski () (born November 26, 1996) is an American football wide receiver and return specialist for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Bemidji State as a cornerback. Ear ...

was named first-team punt returner, and

was named second-team special teamer.

2022 season

On August 1, 2022, Bailey signed a four-year, $13.5 million contract extension through the 2025 season. He was placed on injured reserve on November 19, 2022.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

Personal life

His parents are Brad and Susan Bailey and he has one sister named Aly. While at Stanford, he got his pilot's license.

References

External links

New England Patriots profileStanford profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Jake Living people People from Solana Beach, California Players of American football from California Sportspeople from San Diego County, California American football punters Stanford Cardinal football players New England Patriots players 1997 births American Conference Pro Bowl players