Retired Pats center David Andrews 'wanted to finish it here' - ESPN

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Longtime New England Patriots center David Andrews said Monday that he retired from the NFL after 10 seasons because he wanted to play for only one team.

«I didn't want to go do it for another organization,» he said. «That wasn't what I had in mind to finish my career. I wanted to finish it here and I did.»

Andrews won two Super Bowl championships in New England after joining the team as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Georgia in 2015 and was named a captain in his final eight seasons. He was released in March with a failed physical designation after being limited to four games in 2024 because of a shoulder injury that required surgery.

The 32-year-old Andrews overflowed with emotion during a retirement ceremony hosted by the team at Gillette Stadium on Monday. Owner Robert Kraft, who earlier in the day had attended memorial services for Colts owner Jim Irsay in Indianapolis, introduced Andrews after a tribute video from former teammates including Tom Brady played on the videoboard.

When Andrews arrived at the interview dais, he mentioned that he wrote his speech down because he was concerned that he wouldn't make it through without breaking down. Then he stopped to collect himself as tears flowed.

«As you can see, there's a lot of emotions,» he said. «The one that kept sticking out to me was gratitude. When I look back on the 26 years I've been blessed to play this game, that's really all I could think about. Especially playing O-line since I was 6 years old, you learn very quickly that it's not about you, it's about the team. For my whole career, I've been surrounded by the best team anyone could ask for. So today, I'd like to show my gratitude to those who sacrificed and helped