The New England Patriots have release former Arkansas All-SEC defensive end Trey Flowers, which could spell the end of his successful, Super Bowl-winning NFL career.
Flowers was stalwart on the Razorbacks defense from 2011-14, racking up 190 tackles career tackles, 18 sacks and 13 pass deflections. His 47.5 tackles for a loss still ranks second all-time for the Hogs, just behind Billy Ray Smith Jr.’s 63.
The 6-foot-2, 265-pound native of Huntsville, Ala., was selected by the Patriots in the fourth-round – 101st overall – in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Flowers, 30, won two Super Bowls with the Patriots, to end the 2016 and 2018 seasons, his second and fourth years in the NFL. He tallied 265 total tackles and 31.5 sacks, 10 forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries, across his eight professional seasons with the Patriots, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins.
Flowers also played and started in nine postseason games, all with New England, adding 39 total tackles and 5.5 sacks. He came up huge in Super Bowl LI, when the Patriots recorded the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history to defeat Atlanta, 34-28. Flowers led the Pats with six tackles, 2.5 sacks and five QB hits in that game.
Due to injuries, Flowers had appeared in only four games over the last two seasons. He recorded four tackles and one QB hit for the Dolphins last year, before re-signing with Patriots again before this season. He began the season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list with a lingering foot issue, but had practiced with the team for the last three weeks, after missing all of training camp.
The Patriots had until Wednesday – within a 21-day window, like with injured reserve – to add Flowers to the active roster or he’d be forced to sit out the entire season. They released him a day before the deadline arrived.
