The New England Patriots parted ways with a core member of Phase 2 of their dynasty Monday when they reportedly released punter Ryan Allen.
Tom Brady doesn’t believe Allen will be unemployed for long.
“There’s a lot of difficult decisions that are made,” the Patriots quarterback said Tuesday on WEEI’s “Greg Hill Show.” “Ryan was an incredible player — still is — and he’ll get another great opportunity.”
The Patriots won three Super Bowls and played in a fourth during Allen’s six-year run in New England. His final official game for the team — Super Bowl LIII — was one of the best of his career, as he landed three punts inside the Los Angeles Rams’ 10-yard line in a 13-3 victory.
The writing was on the wall for Allen after the Patriots drafted up in the 2019 NFL Draft to select Stanford punter Jake Bailey in the fifth round. While his booming leg and ability to kick off are Bailey’s main selling points, the rookie also carries a smaller salary cap hit than Allen’s ($567,245 compared to $1.5 million) and is under team control for the next four seasons.
“There’s a lot of turnover in the league from year to year,” Brady said in his WEEI interview. “It’s very difficult to see teammates go. I think I learned valuable lessons when I was young, like when Lawyer Milloy, who was one of my great friends on the team in 2002, got released during training camp (in 2003). You come from college, and you think that you’re on scholarship with everyone, and the reality is you’re not. This is a real, professional job.
“There’s 53 competitive spots, and I think the thing you do as a player is you really try to control what you can control. And if you’re a great player, you’re going to get opportunity. Because the league is very competitive, but there’s a spot on some team if you’re a player who’s a great player like Ryan and can contribute.”
