The New England Patriots are making a major change to their team, releasing veteran center David Andrews. After winning two Super Bowls with the team and being an eight-time captain, the end is near for Andrews in New England.

Andrews only played four games last year because of shoulder surgery and had to be put on injured reserve. He's played in 124 regular season games and 12 playoff games, while also being selected as the center on the Patriots' 2010s All-Decade Team.

He and Joe Cardona were the longest-tenured players on the Patriots, and Andrews was entering the last year of his contract in 2025 after the team gave him an extension that included $8 million guaranteed.

The team will have to find a new center, but there are already players on the team who could fill the void such as Ben Brown and Cole Strange.

What is next for David Andrews?

New England Patriots center David Andrews (60) watches from the sideline during the first half against the Carolina Panthers at Gillette Stadium.
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David Andrews knew that after last season, his time with the Patriots could come to an end at any time. With missing most of the season, there was a chance they could go in a different direction next season.

“I did everything I could to try to play [in 2024], and it didn't go well,” Andrews said. “I had to make a tough decision, knowing the surgery might not go well, and it might lead to more problems. But thankfully that went well.

“Look, I know this is a tough business; the organization might come to me and tell me it's time to move on. I might get into OTAs or training camp and know I can't do it. If the organization decides to go in a different way, that's their choice and I hope that's not the case. I want to play football. I've done this for a long time — 26 years — and I'd like to make it 27 and see where it goes from there. I'm going to try to do it.”

It will be interesting to see if Andrew will hang it up after being released or if he still thinks that he has some left in the tank. If he decides to retire, the Patriots will most likely hold a ceremony for him, similar to what they did for Julian Edelman.

It's not certain how much time Andrews needs to rehab his shoulder, but if he doesn't retire, it'll give him an entire offseason to get better and come back fully healthy before the start of the season.