Patriots Release Brandon LaFell, Scott Chandler
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots' offseason moves have begun.
The team has released receiver Brandon LaFell and tight end Scott Chandler, the team announced Wednesday evening. ESPN's Adam Schefter and Mike Reiss, as well as CSNNE's Tom E. Curran, first reported the news.
LaFell, 29, played well in his first Patriots season in 2014 but struggled in 2015 after starting the year on the PUP list. In 11 games last year, LaFell caught 37 passes for 515 yards and zero touchdowns. That came after a 74-reception, 953-yard, seven-touchdown showing in his first season in Tom Brady's offense. Likewise, LaFell's production dipped in the playoffs. In the 2014 run to the Super Bowl, he caught 13 passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns; this year in the playoffs, he caught three passes for six yards.
LaFell said goodbye to the team via Instagram.
"First I want to thank the Kraft family and Bill for giving me the opportunity to play for a first class organization," he wrote. "My teammates for the relationship and memories on and off the field. TB 12 gonna miss you homie appreciate you the past two seasons your GREAT BOSS. 80,17,87,11,32,30,21,26,91,54,95,18 and the OLine gonna miss you boy. Stay up and keep grinding.. APPRECIATE."
Chandler was brought in as an expected complement to Rob Gronkowski to form a two-headed tight end monster, but it never quite worked out. The seventh-year pro caught just 23 passes for 259 yards and four touchdowns. The receptions and yards represented career lows for him in any full season he's played in the NFL.
The two moves add to a moderately busy offseason for the Patriots, who have signed Brady to a two-year extension and also re-signed offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia to return to the team.
