Patriots Release Former Second-Round Pick

Getty

Roberto Aguayo

Former second-round pick and highly touted kicker Roberto Aguayo might be at the end of his NFL rope. The New England Patriots released him on Thursday and they will now go to training camp with veteran Nick Folk and undrafted free agent rookie Quinn Nordin competing for the team’s starting kicking job.

The Patriots signed the 27-year-old Aguayo on Dec. 26, 2020. He was brought to camp to compete with Folk and last year’s rookie kicker Justin Rohrwasser. Aguayo’s arrival seemed to indicate the writing was on the wall for Rohrwasser, who wound up getting released earlier this year.

Now, Nordin’s arrival seems to have symbolized the same thing for Aguayo. Back in 2016, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Aguayo in the second round with the 59th pick overall. He played in every game as a rookie and showed flashes of the talents he displayed while at Florida State that got him selected in the first 60 picks.

However, inconsistencies led to him getting released by the Bucs in 2017. He bounced around the NFL landing with the Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Chargers before being out of football from Sept. 2018 until the Patriots signed him more than two years later.

With even Nordin likely a longshot to beat out Folk, who remained steady in OTAs and mini-camp after a strong 2020 campaign, there was seemingly no need to keep Aguayo on the roster.

Don’t Sleep on Nordin

While he may have had some accuracy issues in college, there is no questioning Nordin’s leg strength.

NESN’s Zack Cox tweeted about the upcoming competition between Nordin and Folk. Cox said:

UDFA Quinn Nordin can kick the hell out of the ball. One of his field goals yesterday landed on top of a building next to the practice field. With Roberto Aguayo gone, it’ll be Nordin vs. Nick Folk for the kicker job in camp.

Unfortunately, Nordin’s struggles have come in the way of accuracy. Nordin made just 72.4% of his field-goal attempts in college. He’ll need to improve if he has any hopes of making the roster.

Patriots Regular Season Schedule

The kicking competition will swing into high gear during training camp, and we may see the final stages of it in preseason.

Here is a look at the entire preseason and regular season schedule for the Patriots in 2021 and early 2022.

Also Read:

• NFC North Team Considered No. 1 Potential Suitor for Stephon Gilmore Trade
• Cardinals Star Trying to Recruit Patriots’ Stephon Gilmore
• Cam Newton ‘Feeling It’ on Final Day of Patriots Minicamp: Report
• Promising Young Patriot ‘Practices With His Hair on Fire’
• First Look at ‘Lean’ Dont’a Hightower at Patriots Practice