New England Patriots Grant Defensive End’s Request To Release Him

The New England Patriots made a few big moves this week, and this time they granted a defensive end’s request to release him.

The Patriots will halt Adrian Clayborn’s time with the team at one year. The defensive end thanked the team for granting his request to release him. He praised the Patriots for their incredible organization and the ability to win Super Bowls. Clayborn didn’t miss the chance to say that the Patriots have achieved this much through hard work.

“Thank you @Patriots for my time with the organization. I gained so much respect for how you do things and win championships. It’s done the right way through hard work. Thank you for granting my release. I’m ready for this next chapter,” he tweeted.

Clayborn inked a two-year deal with the New England Patriots last offseason. Prior to signing a contract with the team he spent some time with the Atlanta Falcons. He played in Atlanta from 2015-2017. The 30-year-old player was a first-round pick by the Tamba Bay Buccaneers in the 2011 NFL Draft out of Iowa.

The Patriots considered Clayborn a key player in the team’s defensive line. However, things didn’t work the way everyone hoped. Clayborn stayed healthy for two regular season games and played in 30-percent of the defensive snaps, right behind Trey Flowers and Deatrich Wise. He was active in 14 regular season games and totaled 11 tackles and 2.5 sacks. In the playoffs, Clayborn played in all three games and totaled a sack.

This move didn’t come as a surprise, and we have a few good reasons to think this way.

New England can clear up to $4 million in cap space by releasing Clayborn. They can use the money to rearrange a few deals or get a free agent. Clauborn was a spot-starter in almost every team he has played with.