Patriots Part Ways With Their Kicker After 14 Seasons

The New England Patriots are losing their veterans in free agency. First, it was quarterback Tom Brady. Now the Patriots have decided to part ways with veteran kicker Stephen Gostkowski. The team released the veteran kicker Monday, and the information was first confirmed by Jim McBride from The Boston Globe.

Gostkowski was the Patriots’ fourth-round draft pick in 2006. He replaced Super Bowl hero Adam Vinatieri. Gostkowski saw action in six Super Bowls of his own and won three rings. The kicker cemented himself as one of the most accurate kickers in the league history. He has 87.4 percent career success rate on field goals and ranks fifth all-time. Gostkowski’s 1,775 points are the most by any kicker New England has ever had.

“Through the years, I have been lucky,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said last October. “We have had a lot of stability, there’s no doubt about that. … Steve Gostkowski’s one of the greatest kickers of all time. He’s been great for this franchise.”

The Patriots need a new kicker

The 36-year-old didn’t have much success in his final season with the Pats. He missed one field goal and four extra points in four games before being placed on injured reserve. Gostkowski had season-ending hip surgery. During that period, the organization signed three different kickers. Mike Nugent, Nick Folk, and Kai Forbath tried to fill up the void, and Folk emerged as a reliable replacement.

Gostkowski hit the offseason as the Patriots’ second-longest tenured player right behind TB12. Brady and Gostkowski are out of the team now, so special teamer Matthew Slater (since 2008) now owns the distinction.

The Patriots have freed up to $837,500 in salary cap space by releasing the veteran kicker. This means that coach Belichick will have to find a new kicker. The team has none under contract for the upcoming season. When it comes to available free agents, they may have Folk, Vinatieri, Ryan Succop, and Greg Zierlein. Georgia’s Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia Southern’s Tyler Bass, and UCLA’s J.J. Molson sit on top of this year’s draft class.

This offseason is really challenging for the Patriots and they are off to greater challenge.