The New England Patriots made many changes to their team with new head coach Mike Vrabel, as he wants a culture reset for this upcoming season. In doing so, Vrabel has been active with cleaning up the roster, mostly on defense, but with the NFL Draft around the corner, he’s starting to focus more on the offense.
As a result, that meant parting ways with veteran center David Andrews after he spent ten years with the Patriots and was an eight-time captain. Despite Andrews’ recent health situation, this seemed like a surprise. It also proved that Vrabel is ruthless when it comes to roster building.
Another player who is an unrestricted free agent that shouldn’t expect to be picked up anytime soon is veteran running back JaMycal Hasty, after his two seasons in New England.
Hasty was primarily used on special teams in New England, but he did total 107 snaps on offense last year. He finished with 131 special-teams plays. He was on offense for only 11.2 percent of the time to the 33.8 percent he was on special teams.
In 2024, he finished with only 20 rushing attempts for 69 yards and scored four touchdowns. He also totaled 10 receptions on 12 targets for 59 yards and scored a touchdown.
Hasty didn’t have much to offer the Patriots outside of special teams. To be fair, being a specialist in the NFL is a unique position for the right player, it’s not something anyone can make a career out of. Every once in a while, a Matthew Slater comes around, but that’s not what Hasty is.
Two games come to mind when I think of Hasty in New England: Last season in Week 6, the Patriots were defeated by the Houston Texans, 41-21, in which Hasty had six kick returns in the game for 139 yards. The next week, the Patriots played the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, and it was Hasty’s biggest game of the season. He finished with five receptions for 49 yards and scored a touchdown.
Hasty couldn’t offer the Patriots anything more than what the starting running back Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson are already providing, leading to his services not being needed in 2025.
That said, it’s going to be challenging for Hasty to land a job in the offseason. With the NFL Draft just days away with a loaded running back class on the way, Hasty will soon be overlooked as his services are becoming less needed in his 29-year-old season.
Hasty might have to wait it out a bit before a team looks his way this offseason.