Chris Hogan is ending the chapter of his life featuring the New England Patriots, but not before reflecting on his time with the six-time Super Bowl champions.
Hogan signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers back in April after three seasons with the Patriots. The receiver hasn’t gone into detail about how his departure from the team played out behind closed doors, but did show his gratitude for the organization in an exit interview with ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
“I appreciate everything that was given to me in New England — the opportunity to go there and play — and I’ll always hold every single one of those people in that organization (in high regard): Mr. (Robert) Kraft, Bill (Belichick),” he said. “It was time to move on, I guess. I take it for what it is. I enjoyed my time. And now I’m excited about the opportunity in front of me.”
So what was his favorite moment as a Patriot? Well, it was hard for him to pin one down.
“Obviously, the ones that stick out are going to all three Super Bowls. All in all, I think the biggest thing I really found there was the team,” he said. “That’s something I probably will miss the most — just how close everyone was and how everyone came to work every single day. We all had fun doing it. In the grind of the season, it gets hard sometimes, but everyone was in it together.”
For him, working with friends and winning games was “the most fun part” of being part of the team. “It doesn’t get much better than that,” he said.
In fact, Hogan doesn’t seem to have any regrets about his time in New England.
“No. None,” he said. “I was very, very fortunate to be around one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game, if not the best. One of the best coaches to ever coach. Great teammates. I miss Julian (Edelman) a little bit, going back and forth with him. I made a lot of friendships there, which I think will last the rest of my life.”
But hey, Hogan and the Panthers are due in Foxboro on August 22 for a preseason game against the Patriots, so it won’t be too long before Pats fans get another look at Hogan.