One of the few Super Bowl champions remaining on the Patriots’ roster was released by the team before he could return for his 11th season in New England.
Center David Andrews played just four games last season before suffering a shoulder injury. 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, in front of young franchise quarterback Drake Maye.
Maye played with Andrews in just one game, the Patriots’ Week 3 loss against the New York Jets. Despite not having much playing time together before Andrews’ season ended, Maye expressed his feelings about the former team captain in an Instagram story.
In a story on his personal account, Maye posted a short video featuring a plethora of Andrews’ plays with a voice-over praising the two-time champion. Across the video, Maye simply added a GOAT emoji to show his support for Andrews.
Andrews is currently rehabbing a shoulder injury that cost him most of the 2024 season, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
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“If he chooses not to pursue extending his career elsewhere, the expectation is that the Patriots would hold a retirement ceremony for him to honor his widespread contributions to the franchise,” Reiss wrote on Thursday. “If that is the way things unfold, it would mirror what happened with receiver Julian Edelman, who had a chronic knee injury and was released as a procedural move before he announced his retirement in 2021.”