New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo opened up about the decision to release veteran edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue.
Per Mayo, the team’s decision to cut Ngakoue before the end of the season was out of respect to give him an opportunity to land with a playoff contender, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
Ngakoue was released by the Patriots on Tuesday, less than two months after he signed with the team on November 8. He appeared in six games in total with the team and recorded nine combined tackles. New England claimed him on waivers after his previous release from the Baltimore Ravens.
The Patriots have tried to fix their defense several times during the season. Ngakoue was simply an option that failed to work out for the team. Now, he’ll have a chance to help another team with potentially more than one week of football left on their schedule.
