Adrian Wilson released by New England Patriots
Adrian Wilson against the St. Louis Rams at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots brought back a familiar face yesterday by re-signing veteran strong safety Patrick Chung, who was miscast as a free safety with the Philadelphia Eagles due to circumstance. They unsurprisingly cut ties with him this offseason after wasting money on him last year, and he was replaced by former New Orleans Saints FS Malcolm Jenkins. Chung will resume his role as a leader with the Patriots organization, and it will be interesting to see if he wins a starting gig next year. That could very well depend on whether or not the Patriots draft a safety this year, but they spend second and third round picks in the past two drafts on Tavon Wilson and Duron Harmon respectively, with both showing promise in their rookies seasons (though Wilson seemed to take a step back in 2013).
Steve Gregory was an unsurprising cap casualty early in the offseason, and Adrian Wilson has tweeted that he has been released by the team. FOX Sports’s Mike Garafolo confirmed the move and added that Wilson plans to continue playing and is currently fully healthy. He was, of course, placed on the injured reserve out of training camp due to an Achilles’ injury but was always expected to be ready for OTAs.
Wilson was always expected to be released, and his release is even less surprising than Gregory’s release. While Wilson is just 34 and did not play last year after struggling in 2012, the former Arizona Cardinals star hopefully has something left in the tank and will likely be scooped up by a team looking for veteran depth at safety.