Austin Collie released by New England Patriots

New England Patriots wide receiver Austin Collie leaves the field after a win over the New Orleans Saints at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots defeated the Saints 30-27. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

The New England Patriots worked out and signed wide receiver LaQuan Williams, and the gut feeling was that Williams was signed to take the place of Austin Collie on the Patriots 53-man roster. Well, that’s the case, as ESPN Boston’s ultra-reliable Field Yates reports that Austin Collie has been released by the team following his knee injury in Sunday’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It’s another sad moment for Collie, who has been trying as hard as possible to get his career back on track following devastating injury after devastating injury. Collie has suffered significant concussions and knee injuries throughout his career, and it is his knee woes and not the concussion issues that have come back to haunt him and end his brief stay with the Patriots organization. He is one of those good guy’s in this league that you always root for, so it hurts to see Collie have to go through another significant injury and release. While retiring is best for his health, I really want to see Collie have a major success story at some point.

Collie had only three receptions for 34 yards in his time with the New England Patriots, but I still consider his signing a success for this team. He offered some key veteran depth at the wide receiver position, and his big catch against the New Orleans Saints will not be forgotten by me. It’s always tough to write about Collie, simply since the progression of his future is so uncertain. All I can do is hope for the best for Collie in the future, but this release doesn’t come as a surprise at all.

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