The New England Patriots shook up their roster last Monday by releasing veteran defensive lineman Lawrence Guy and cornerback Adrian Phillips.
For a rebuilding team looking to create as much cap space as possible heading into free agency, it made total sense for the Patriots to move on from the two aging veterans. Given their current situation, the Patriots are in a position where they should be prioritizing youth.
However, ESPN’s Mike Reiss also noted the timing of the move being significant. In his Sunday notes column, he pointed to a conversation with an agent, who viewed it as the team doing both Lawrence and Phillips a favor by giving them a head start in free agency.
Reiss wrote:
One agent viewed it as a show of respect to the two longtime veterans, giving them a head start on free agency and allowing interested teams time to study them before a glut of players fills the market.
Both Guy and Phillips were two highly-respected veterans in the locker room, and they’ll surely land on their feet elsewhere. The Patriots can only hope to replicate those personalities when attempting to build the right culture for the new era.
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