Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Michael Kadlick

The Last Player of the Patriots Dynasty Is Officially Out of New England

Cardona was the final piece of the Patriots' dynasty. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

It truly is a new era in New England under new coach Mike Vrabel.

The Patriots announced on Tuesday afternoon that they have released long-snapper Joe Cardona. In doing so, they've officially moved on from the final piece of their two-decade-long dynasty.

New England had previously released both center David Andrews and linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley this offseason, and also let cornerback Jonathan Jones and defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. walk away in free agency. These were the final five players left on the roster that had won Super Bowl LIII with the team in 2019.

Cardona was drafted by the Patriots out of Navy in the fifth round (pick No. 166) of the 2015 NFL draft, and spent the last 10 seasons as their long snapper on special teams. This past weekend, however, New England used one of their two seventh-round draft picks on Vanderbilt long-snapper Julian Ashby, all but signaling Cardona's tenure with New England coming to an end.

The Patriots, with a truly re-vamped roster, begin rookie minicamp next Friday, May 9.


More NFL on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Last Player of the Patriots Dynasty Is Officially Out of New England.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.