Patriots Are Reportedly Cutting Special Teams Star

The New England Patriots had great plans for their offseason and they have already made the first reported move of free agency week. According to several sources, including NFL insider Tom Pelissero, the Patriots will release a special teams star.

Pelissero reported that the Patriots will release their special teams ace some day this week.

“The #Patriots plan to release veteran special teams standout Chris Board this week, per source. He played in all 17 games for New England last season,” Pelissero reported.

The Patriots signed Board as a free agent in 2023 and he saw action in all 17 regular season games. He provided a great performance and became a core member of the Patriots special teams operation. The Patriots decided to let him go. It seems like head coach Jerod Mayo and his assistants plan to reshape the entire Patriots roster. They have great respect for Bill Belichick and his legacy, but now is the perfect time to make some serious changes.

Patriots reshape the special teams squad

The Patriots’ special teams squad was pretty consistent over the years. However, things didn’t look too good in the last few seasons. Mayo decided to make big changes and will be working with Jeremy Springer as the new kicking game coordinator. Tom Quinn and Coby Tippett will act like Springer’s assistants.

The new coaching staff for the Patriots special teams unit will work with new players as three of the top five specialists left the organization.

Board was tied for first on the list with 407 snaps. Matthew Slater announced his retirement and Adrian Phillips is gone, too. One thing stands for sure. The Patriots kicking game will look different in the upcoming season.

The team will have to sign new players to replace Board, Slater, and Phillips. Who will be the first player to join the team? The Patriots have been linked to several players, but replacing these three will be quite an issue.