Patriots make inevitable roster move with veteran player after the draft signaled a clear direction
Joe Cardona's time with the New England Patriots has come to an end. The team announced on Tuesday that they are parting ways with the long snapper, just a few days after drafting Vanderbilt long snapper Julian Ashby in the 2024 NFL Draft. Cardona was the last remaining player on the team to have won […]
Joe Cardona's time with the New England Patriots has come to an end.
The team announced on Tuesday that they are parting ways with the long snapper, just a few days after drafting Vanderbilt long snapper Julian Ashby in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Cardona was the last remaining player on the team to have won a Super Bowl, but now, it's a completely fresh start.
Eliot Wolf was asked about the decision to draft Ashby and what that meant for Cardona's future following Round 3 on Saturday. However, he didn't give anything away.
"Julian Ashby was a player that we liked. We felt like he was the best long snapper in the draft," Wolf told reporters. "Through some of the conversations that we had, we felt like he might not be someone that would be available post-draft.
"Again, wanting to add some competition to the roster, we decided to pull the trigger there late."
But, instead of competition, the spot is now Ashby's, who will have an entire offseason to work as the team's only long snapper.
Cardona was selected by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft out of Navy and he remained with New England for nine seasons. Along with being a two-time Super Bowl champion, he was also named to the Patriots All-Dynasty Team.
