Veteran safety Jabrill Peppers has found a new home after he was released by the New England Patriots in a surprising move leading up to the team's season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Peppers has agreed to a contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That sets up a showdown against his former team, as the Patriots and Steelers play at Gillette Stadium in Week 3.

He will join a Pittsburgh secondary that was in need of help with starting strong safety DeShon Elliott suffering an injury in Week 1 against the Jets.

"Highly familiar with [Peppers], not only with his time as a Cleveland Brown but scouted him heavily when he came out of Michigan," Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday, via CBS Sports. "He's a football player first, positional player second. He's displayed position flexibility over the course of his career at either safety position, at run down, nickel. He's been a capable guy in the special teams space over the course of his career, covering kicks, returning punts. He's just a good, well-rounded football player."

After Peppers was released by the Patriots, there were reports that his lack of fit in the team's defensive scheme played a party in Mike Vrabel's decision to move on. But the first-year Patriots head coach later said that wasn't the case.

"That was not the issue. We're going to try to do what is best for the team. We have a lot of different schemes we can run in all three phases," Vrabel said. "There is a lot that goes into it, and we are just trying to build toward Sunday. That was a decision we had to make and I wish the best for Jabrill."

Peppers played in 38 games during his tenure in New England, starting 26 of them. He had 178 combined tackles, three interceptions and two forced fumbles.

The safety was drafted No. 25 overall by the Cleveland Browns in 2017, then traded to the New York Giants in 2019.