As the New England Patriots top brass attempts to right the ship following two consecutive 4-13 seasons, it was reasonable to expect that Eliot Wolf and new head coach Mike Vrabel would be faced with some hard decisions.
Even so, recent decisions to cut well-respected Patriot veterans have turned heads. For the second time this month, New England parted ways with a veteran captain and career Patriot, releasing linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley on Friday. Bentley - a three-time captain - racked up 509 tackles across 83 games in a Patriots uniform.
Patriots LB Ja'Whaun Bentley says goodbye.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) March 28, 2025
Expectation is that the team will be releasing him today.
Three-time captain. Has been with team for 7 seasons.
Just said over the weekend he has been fully cleared recently after sustaining a torn pec Week 2 last season. https://t.co/FGsxxJwrQ2
Bentley's release follows that of center David Andrews, who was released on March 13. Andrews was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Georgia by the Patriots in 2015 and had appeared in 124 games for New England. An eight-time team captain, Andrews was a stalwart in the middle of a Patriots offensive line that captured rings in Super Bowl LI and Super Bowl LIII. Heading into his age-33 season, Andrews missed the final 13 games of last season with a shoulder injury. There have also been suggestions that he could choose to hang up his cleats after an illustrious 10-year career.
On a podcast following his release, Andrews spoke on the decision, revealing some "shock" when he received the news:
"I found out earlier that week. You're a little shocked by it. I've been so blessed. I've had 10 years and never got fired. I was living a pipe dream that I would hopefully make the decision myself."David Andrews on being released
With the releases of Bentley and Andrews, long-snapper Joe Cardona is the only remaining Patriot from their Super Bowl-winning teams. Cardona is also the only remaining Patriot who was a teammate of Tom Brady in New England. A new era has certainly been ushered in at One Patriot Place.
Unlike Andrews, who is on the north side of 30, Bentley is still in the expected prime of his career at 28 years old. The former fifth-rounder missed the remainder of the 2024 season after suffering a torn pectoral muscle in Week 2. Perhaps questions about Bentley's ability to rebound from that injury and return to a 100-tackles-a-year player factored into the decision to cut ties.
Patriots fans were not the only ones caught off guard by Friday's news, as star cornerback Christian Gonzalez also took to social media to express his surprise:
Bruh what???
— Gonzo (@chrisgonzo28) March 28, 2025
The controversial moves are even more puzzling when considering New England's salary cap situation. Per Over the Cap, the Patriots still have the most cap space available in the league, even after an active free agency period. The decisions to release Bentley and Andrews would be more digestible if the team was pinching pennies to remain below the salary cap, but that is certainly not the case.
Given the front office's treatment of well-respected veterans such as Andrews and Bentley in the last few weeks, it is fair to ask if their releases have ruffled any feathers in the New England locker room. Hopefully, Vrabel's pedigree as a former Super Bowl-winning player breeds trust in his decision-making amongst the players in the locker room.