News of Malik Cunningham’s release by the New England Patriots caught the fan base by surprise on Tuesday.
The backup quarterback had become somewhat of a fan-favorite during the preseason after displaying his skills as both a runner and passer under center. With the current version of the Patriots offense looking slow and outdated, there was hope that Cunningham could develop into the sort of new-aged quarterback to help spark the offense.
But the Patriots made the decision to waive the undrafted rookie after signing him to a three-year deal 10 days ago.
Keep in mind, Cunningham will return to the practice squad if he clears waivers. The coaching staff clearly likes him, and even Bill Belichick noted the significant strides and improvement he’s made behind the scenes.
Bill Belichick said Patriots would add Malik Cunningham to practice squad if he goes unclaimed. But What about Trey Flowers?
"Trey's in a little different situation. So, we'll just leave that where it is. There's other rules and other things involved. A much longer discussion."
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) October 25, 2023
The other teams in the league could have signed him off the practice in the first five weeks of the season, before he was promoted to the Patriots’ main roster. So there’s hope he’ll find his way back to New England after the waiver period.
However, that still didn’t quell the concerns of Patriots fans, who were clearly not happy about potentially losing Cunningham to another team. Here’s what people were saying after the move on Tuesday: