Longtime Patriots center David Andrews retiring from NFL after ‘shocking' release
He was one of the final two players on the Patriots' roster who was a part of their dynasty.
Then, jarringly, he was cut loose.
And now, he's calling it quits.
David Andrews, the former Patriots center who won two Super Bowls snapping the ball to Tom Brady, is retiring from the NFL, New England announced Wednesday.
The 32-year-old will hold a press conference Monday to give his farewell remarks.
4 Patriots center David Andrews holds the Lombardi Trophy after Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3, 2019.
AFP via Getty Images
4 A shirtless David Andrews celebrates the Patriots' Super Bowl LIII win during their victory parade on Feb. 5, 2019.
MediaNews Group via Getty Images
Andrews, who was limited to four games last season due to a shoulder injury, was released in March and was stunned by the news as he reacted on his 'Quick Snap' podcast.
'You're a little shocked by it,' Andrews said at the time. 'But … 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. What did Bill [Belichick] say? 'There's a light at the end of the tunnel, and you're hoping it's not a train.' I was hoping it wasn't a train, and it was a train.
'But like I said, I respect their decision.'
4 David Andrews (l.) with his wife Mackenzie (r.) before Tom Brady's Patriots Hall of Fame induction on June 12, 2024.
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4 Patriots center David Andrews (60) prepares to snap the ball to Tom Brady (12) during a game in 2019.
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The release came after the Patriots dumped Bill Belichick's successor, Jerod Mayo, after just one season, replacing him with another ex-Patriot, Mike Vrabel.
Andrews, who signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent out of Georgia in 2015, started in 121 of his 124 appearances with the team and became a captain.
He missed the entire 2019 season due to blood clots in his lungs.
After Andrews' release, the only player left on the Patriots' roster who had won a Super Bowl with the team was long snapper Joe Cardona, and he was later released after the NFL draft.
Cardona was signed by the Dolphins earlier this month.
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