New England said goodbye to another longtime staple of their two-decade run of championships, releasing kicker and franchise leading scorer Stephen Gostkowski. The three-time Super Bowl champion has spent his entire 14-year NFL career in New England. Only recently departed Tom Brady (41), Adam Vinatieri (32) and Jerry Rice (29) have played in more playoff games. Gostkowski, 36, ends his Patriots tenure having made 87.4% (374 of 428) of his field-goal attempts.
With Brady gone to Tampa Bay, the Patriots brought back quarterback Brian Hoyer for his third stint with the team. He becomes the third quarterback on New England’s roster, joining Jarrett Stidham and Cody Kessler.