Patriots Reportedly Releasing Eight-Time Captain In O-Line Shakeup

There has been a lot of change for the Patriots in the last week amid New England’s spending spree, but the turnover also includes players going out.

Perhaps no decision will be felt greater than the move the Patriots will reportedly make Thursday, as they plan to release longtime center David Andrews, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported.

Andrews’ career, as Reiss notes, might be over. He’s currently rehabbing a shoulder injury that cost him most of the 2024 season.

In addition to being one of the NFL’s best centers during his prime, Andrew was a leader and a mainstay for some of the best Patriots teams in recent memory. Replacing him in the locker room will be just as important for Mike Vrabel and the New England coaching staff as it will be finding a new pivot in the middle of the rebuilt offensive line.

Andrews played in just four games last season before suffering a shoulder injury. When healthy, Andrews was a constant in the New England lineup, starting all but three of the games he played in over his career. In seven of his nine NFL seasons, Andrews played in at least 94% of the Patriots’ offensive snaps. That includes 2016 and 2018 when he helped the Patriots win the Super Bowl in each season.

The move reinforces just how much turnover the Patriots will see this offseason. Obviously, the decision to fire Jerod Mayo and hire Vrabel set that in motion. New England spent big in free agency, bringing in a handful of high-priced veterans. The Patriots also traded veteran defensive tackle Davon Godchaux to the Saints earlier this week, and then they saw Deatrich Wise and Jonathan Jones leave for Washington in free agency.