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The Last Player of the Patriots Dynasty Is Officially Out of New England

It's truly a new era in New England.

Mike Kadlick

Cardona was the final piece of the Patriots' dynasty.
Cardona was the final piece of the Patriots' dynasty. / Eric Canha-Imagn Images
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It truly is a new era in New England under new coach Mike Vrabel.

The Patriots announced on Tuesday afternoon that they have released long-snapper Joe Cardona. In doing so, they've officially moved on from the final piece of their two-decade-long dynasty.

New England had previously released both center David Andrews and linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley this offseason, and also let cornerback Jonathan Jones and defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. walk away in free agency. These were the final five players left on the roster that had won Super Bowl LIII with the team in 2019.

Cardona was drafted by the Patriots out of Navy in the fifth round (pick No. 166) of the 2015 NFL draft, and spent the last 10 seasons as their long snapper on special teams. This past weekend, however, New England used one of their two seventh-round draft picks on Vanderbilt long-snapper Julian Ashby, all but signaling Cardona's tenure with New England coming to an end.

The Patriots, with a truly re-vamped roster, begin rookie minicamp next Friday, May 9.

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Mike Kadlick
MIKE KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the New England Patriots for WEEI sports radio in Boston and continues to do so for CLNS Media. He has a master's in public relations from Boston University. Kadlick is also an avid runner and a proud lover of all things pizza.

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