When center David Andrews, who had been a captain and a mainstay of the Patriots offensive line for a decade, was abruptly cut by the team in March, he said the decision by New England’s new regime caught him off guard. That’s something of a surprise, considering that new coach Mike Vrabel was an NFL player for 14 years and might have handled the Andrews situation a bit more delicately.
Certainly Andrews deserved better. As a captain he routinely stepped out and answered media questions for the past two years, during which the team produced an 8-26 record. Instead, Andrews was left “shocked.”
“I found out earlier that week. You’re a little shocked by it,” Andrews said, via the Boston Globe. “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 say? There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, and you’re hoping it’s not a train, and I was hoping it wasn’t a train, and it was a train.”
Patriots Set to Honor David Andrews
That also left open the possibility that Andrews might seek to keep playing, that at age 32 and despite never playing for another franchise, Andrews could hook on elsewhere. But after considering that possibility, Andrews has instead opted for retirement.
On Wednesday the team announced that it will hold a press conference on Monday, June 3, at which Andrews will speak and the team will honor his contributions over the past nine years. Andrews, after all, was an anchor for Super Bowl-winning teams in both 2016 and 2018.
Andrews was a burly presence at center, but also paid a physical price. He missed all of 2019 because of blood clots, and missed four games in 2020 and another three in 2022 with a thigh injury. Last year, he tore his rotator cuff and required surgery to repair it, effectively ending his career. He played four games in 2024.
As NFL.com wrote about Andrews, he was in the middle of many franchise changes in recent years.
Andrews, “was never a Pro Bowler but was a premier center largely from 2017 through 2022, earning a career-best 83.5 PFF overall grade in 2017 during the Patriots’ march to Super Bowl LII — a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. During his career, he snapped the ball to the legendary Tom Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo, Jacoby Brissett, Cam Newton, Mac Jones and the newest face of the franchise, Drake Maye.”
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