Sources - Patriots to release David Andrews, longtime center and team captain - ESPN

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots are making a change at center that involves one of their franchise pillars over the last decade.

David Andrews, an eight-time captain and two-time Super Bowl champion, will no longer be part of the team as the Patriots plan to release him Thursday, multiple sources told ESPN.

Andrews, 32, is rehabilitating from shoulder surgery that limited him to four games last season. If he chooses not to pursue extending his career elsewhere, the expectation is that the Patriots would hold a retirement ceremony for him to honor his widespread contributions to the franchise.

If that is the way things unfold, it would mirror what happened with receiver Julian Edelman, who had a chronic knee injury and was released as a procedural move before he announced his retirement in 2021.

Andrews, who has played in 124 regular-season games (121 starts) and 12 playoff games (10 starts) with New England, was selected as the center on the Patriots' 2010s All-Decade Team. His rise from undrafted free agent in 2015 to Week 1 starter as a rookie has been one of the Patriots' top underdog stories over the last decade.

A University of Georgia alum, Andrews long credited former coach Bill Belichick for providing him the opportunity to play in the NFL, saying he was the only head coach to personally work him out before the 2015 draft.

Andrews, who along with long snapper Joe Cardona was the Patriots' longest tenured player, was entering the final year of his contract in 2025 and scheduled to earn a base salary of $4 million. Last May, the Patriots added the 2025 season to his contract, an extension that included $8 million guaranteed.

Andrews started the first four games last season before a shoulder injury that