FOXBORO — Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo confirmed Wednesday that releasing wide receiver K.J. Osborn on Wednesday was a mutual decision between the team and player.
Osborn was claimed off waivers by the Commanders, which wipes his remaining guaranteed salary off the Patriots’ books.
The Patriots waived Osborn with a “non-injury settlement,” which is rarely used in the NFL. It’s likely the Patriots had agreed to pay him a split of his remaining salary, since it was guaranteed, to grant his release. Osborn had just seven catches for 57 yards on the season, and he hasn’t suited up in a game since Week 10. From 2021 to 2023, Osborn averaged 615 yards per season with the Vikings.
“It was a mutual thing. Look, K.J., I mean, even when he was inactive, he was just a great professional, great person, a great leader,” Mayo said. “It just didn’t work out, and we decided to part ways.”
Releasing Osborn now allows him to latch on with the Commanders, where he has a better chance to be active on game day.
Extra points
The Patriots signed kicker John Parker Romo to their practice squad Tuesday, giving Joey Slye some competition. “Yeah, I think we all — look, it’s always, it’s a competitive league, and we’ve got to see what he can do,” Mayo said Wednesday. “Joey’s done a good job for us as well throughout the season, but at the same time, we’re always looking to formulate competition on the roster.” … What did Drake Maye do during the bye week? Watched football, of course. “I went home and reset. I still watched football like a fan. I watched some college games. Those conference championships were pretty cool. I watched some NFL games on Sunday, but I really just kept looking on Arizona. You can’t go a week without at least carrying a little preview into what they do. I got back this past weekend and I’m looking forward to getting out there.”