The New England Patriots are parting ways with wide receiver DeVante Parker less than a year after giving him a three-year contract extension.
The Patriots have notified Parker they will release him Wednesday when the new league year begins, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, allowing him to hit the NFL free agent market.
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The Patriots will get hit with a dead cap charge of around $6.3 million by releasing Parker.
It's never ideal to have cap space taken up by a player no longer on your team, but this was a good move by the Patriots. Parker wasn't a productive player for them, and now they can give another player his snaps and role next season.
The Patriots acquired Parker and a 2022 fifth-round pick from the Miami Dolphins in April of 2022 for a 2023 third-round pick. They signed him to a three-year extension in June of 2023. In two seasons with the Patriots, the veteran wideout tallied 64 receptions for 933 yards and three touchdowns in 26 games (13 in both 2022 and 2023).
New England re-signed wideout Kendrick Bourne to a three-year, $19.5 million deal over the weekend. The Patriots reportedly are expected to make a push for Calvin Ridley, who is the best wide receiver available in free agency.
The team's wide receiver depth chart currently consists of Bourne, JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeMario Douglas, Tyquan Thornton and Kayshon Boutte.
