Getty Bill Belichick has two new roster spots to work with.
It took a few months, but the New England Patriots finally saved some salary space from the retirement of safety Devin McCourty.
The Patriots officially processed McCourty’s retirement on Friday, June 2 — a little less than three months after his March 11 retirement announcement. New England’s post-June 1 processing spread McCourty’s dead cap hit over the next two years — $3.5 million in 2023 and $6.2 million in 2024.
McCourty’s retirement and roster spot switch with safety Joshuah Bledsoe brought the Patriots’ cap space for $13.28 million according to salary cap expert Miguel Benzan. Bledsoe’s $940,000 salary took the place of McCourty’s $1.165 million for the top 15 roster spots, which freed up $225,000, Benzan wrote.
A three-time Super Bowl champion, McCourty played 13 seasons for the Patriots and made two Pro Bowl selections. McCourty tallied 35 interceptions, 11 forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries, three sacks, 971 tackles, and 110 pass deflections in his career.
McCourty notably played three seasons with his twin brother, Jason McCourty in New England from 2018 to 2020. Jason McCourty totaled 152 tackles, two interceptions, 19 pass deflections, and a forced fumble in that span.
Welcome to the Patriots retirement house, @devinmccourty.
Now, Devin McCourty will follow in Jason McCourty’s footsteps into broadcasting. Jason McCourty has been part of the NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” since his retirement from his playing career last year, and he worked as a radio analyst with Westwood Once.
Devin McCourty joined NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” pregame show, “Football Night in America” in May. Similar to his brother, Devin McCourty “is also expected to call some games for Westwood” according to the New York Post.
Patriots Release Another Brother
New England parted ways with defensive tackle Justus Tavai on Friday, which ended a short-lived stint of another two brothers on the roster.
An undrafted free agent, Tavai joined his brother, linebacker Jahlani Tavai, on the Patriots roster in May. Ultimately, the younger Tavai didn’t make the cut as the Patriots trimmed the roster down to 88 players on the 90-man roster.
Justus Tavai tallied 7.5 sacks, 110 tackles, two forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries in his collegiate career at San Diego State and Hawaii. Tavai played three seasons in Honolulu before he joined the Aztecs in 2022.
The Tavais have another brother in the NFL — Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Jonah Tavai. He also went undrafted and joined the Seahawks this year.
Football runs in the family, including their older brother, J.R. Tavai, a linebacker with the Tennessee Titans in 2015. Their parents, William Tavai and Nafanua Schuster-Tavai, also played football. Schuster-Tavai notably played in the Women’s Football Alliance.
Devin McCourty Recounts ‘Worst’ Player to Tackle
With his playing career in the rearview mirror, McCourty recently recounted the “worst” player to tackle in his 205 career games played.
Real ones remember Steven Jackson 😤
(via @NFLLegacy)
“Man I remember my rookie year we played the rams in the preseason and Jason McCourty text me like wait till you see Steven Jackson in pregame…one of the worst guys to even think about tackling in the open field,” Devin McCourty tweeted.
Jackson played 12 seasons in the NFL, including two games with the Patriots in 2015. The three-time Pro Bowler tallied 11,438 yards and 69 touchdowns in his career.
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Patriots Make Critical Roster Move to Save Salary Cap Space