Report: New England Patriots Releasing Veteran Tight End

Austin Seferian-Jenkins finished his career with the New England Patriots. The Patriots opened mandatory minicamp, and the reining Super Bowl champions told the veteran tight and that he will be released. The information was confirmed by Field Yates of ESPN.

“The Patriots have informed veteran TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins that they are releasing him, per league source,” Yates tweeted.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network added that the veteran tight end is “taking a step away for a month for personal issues and the team will release him as he does that. We’ll see if he comes back to New England or anywhere.”

Seferian-Jenkins didn’t join the team for the start of the OTAs this offseason. His absence was excused as confirmed by sources close to the team.

This is another loss for the Patriots’ tight end unit. Rob Gronkowski decided to retired earlier this offseason. The Patriots will have to go through minicamp without Seferian-Jenkins. Benjamin Watson will also stay out of the field as the NFL hit him with a four-game suspension. Matt LaCosse will be team’s No.1 option at tight end for the first month if New England doesn’t make any move to add depth to the unit.

Seferian-Jenkins is a second-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He spent some time with the Jets, Jaguars and Patriots. He played with the Jaguars in 2017, but was able to suit up for five games with the team. The tight end ended up on injured reserve due to a core muscle injury. In February, the Jaguars declined his option, and he became a free agent. During his short tenure with the team, Seferian-Jenkins was able to catch 11 of his 19 targets for 90 yards and a score.

In 2017, Seferian-Jenkins totaled 50 catches for 357 yards and three touchdowns. He was considered a strong contributor in the Patriots’ attempt to fill up the void Gronk left behind.

The Patriots will probably contact the Minnesota Vikings to work on a potential trade for veteran tight end Kyle Rudolph. He is in the middle of contract talks with the team, and he will probably be free agent at the end of the upcoming season.

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