Patriots finally open roster spot by utilizing beneficial NFL rule

New England Patriots safety Devin McCourty has finally hit the reserve/retired list. The Patriots made the move on June 2 for a reason. By having the NFL process McCourty’s retirement after June 1, it creates salary cap space for the Patriots. If the retirement was processed June 1 or earlier, it would have cost New […]

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Patriots Devin McCourty retired

New England Patriots safety Devin McCourty has finally hit the reserve/retired list.

The Patriots made the move on June 2 for a reason. By having the NFL process McCourty’s retirement after June 1, it creates salary cap space for the Patriots. If the retirement was processed June 1 or earlier, it would have cost New England over $5 million in cap space.

https://twitter.com/patscap/status/1664730139576369152

As Miguel Benzan, aka @PatsCap on Twitter, notes, the Patriots now have $13,287,568 in available cap space. New England still has to sign three draft picks.

McCourty announced his retirement in March. He'll join NBC for "Sunday Night Football" coverage in the fall.

New England has two roster spots open after placing McCourty on the reserve/retired list and waiving defensive tackle Justus Tavai, an undrafted free agent.

The Patriots will monitor free-agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins’ market, per a source. They have three more organized team activities practices and three mandatory minicamp sessions before they break for the summer prior to training camp.

Featured image via Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports