Big changes are underway in Foxborough as the Patriots prepare for a new season—and a new chapter in leadership.
On Tuesday, the team released longtime long snapper and two-time Super Bowl champion Joe Cardona, just days after selecting Vanderbilt’s Julian Ashby in the seventh round of the NFL Draft.
At 33, Cardona was coming off arguably the strongest season of his career, tying a personal best with four tackles and forcing a fumble on special teams. Originally a fifth-round pick out of Navy, Cardona spent a decade anchoring the Patriots’ special teams unit. Along the way, he juggled his NFL career with service at the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Rhode Island and played a key role in two Super Bowl victories (LI and LII). At one point, he was among the highest-paid long snappers in the league.
His departure marks the end of an era—Cardona was the last remaining player on the roster with a Super Bowl ring from his time in New England. With him gone, safety Kyle Dugger becomes the team’s longest-tenured player.
Last year, Cardona was honored with a captaincy for the first time in his career. Now, under new head coach Mike Vrabel, the Patriots are seeing a near-total reset of their leadership core. Of the six captains from the start of last season—Jacoby Brissett, David Andrews, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Deatrich Wise, Jabrill Peppers, and Cardona—none remain in their roles. Brissett and Wise signed elsewhere, Andrews and Bentley were released, and Peppers lost his captaincy following his arrest.
Cardona was still in the middle of a four-year contract extension when released, but the move will only carry minimal dead money and free up close to $1 million in cap space over each of the next two seasons.
With Cardona out, the Patriots are turning to Julian Ashby to take over snapping duties. According to executive Eliot Wolf, the team had Ashby ranked as the top long snapper in the draft and didn’t want to risk losing him in free agency.
“Julian Ashby was a player we really liked,” said Wolf. “We felt he was the best long snapper in the draft, and after some conversations, we didn’t think he’d be available after the draft. So we made the move late to bring him in and add some competition.”
With fresh faces stepping into leadership roles, the Patriots are signaling a clear shift in direction—one that begins with a new snapper and a whole new vibe in the locker room.
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