Patriots releasing special teams linebacker Chris Board

BOSTON -- Last year, Bill Belichick signed Chris Board, a special teams player he had previously given the highest of praise.

This year, with Belichick no longer running the program, Board is headed out of Foxboro.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Monday ahead of free agency that the Patriots plan to release the special teams linebacker.

Board took 407 special teams snaps last season, tied with Brenden Schooler for most on the team. (Matthew Slater ranked third, wiht 378.) Board, who only took one snap on defense, recorded just 10 tackles (seven solo, three assists) in his 17 games for New England, down from 21 tackles in 2022 with Detroit and 41 tackles in 2021 (in 16 games) for Baltimore. 

During the 2022 season, ahead of the Patriots' game against the Lions, Belichick had a lot to say about Board, calling him "the best special teams player we'll play against all year."

"He's a very hard guy to match up against," Belichick said. "The size matchup is a problem for the faster, lighter guys. The speed matchup is a hard matchup for the bigger guys who don't run as well as he does. He has a great combination of size and speed as well as experience, instincts, and techniques. It's all of the above. There are really no weaknesses in the player. You've got to figure out how to deal with him. He's seen everything." 

Board signed a two-year contract with New England, carrying a $2.1 million cap hit last year. By releasing him, the Patriots will take on less than $1 million in dead cap money while freeing up close to $2 million in cap space.