Although he agreed to a lower salary based in late March, the New England Patriots have spend the past couple days trying to trade wide receiver Chad Ochocinco. Instead, they've decided to release him.
The 34-year-old NFL player took to Twitter on Thursday (June 7), where he expressed his gratitude for his time with the team.
"Thoroughly enjoyed the oppurtunity to play for the 'Patriot' organization... fans were f***ing wicked awesome, I wish all of you the best...," Ochocinco tweeted (@ochocinco).
According to ESPN.com, the Pats were pursuing trade conversations with other teams up until the end of the day's transaction deadline to no avail. So, they decided to let Ochocinco go.
Apparently, he struggled trying to learn the team's playbook. Last season, he caught just 15 passes for 276 yards, and scored a single touchdown, after being acquired from the Cincinnati Bengals last July.
The receiver earned around $6 million last season, and agreed to restructure his contract for 2012 from $3 million to $925,000 to ensure himself a roster spot ... but that was for the short term.
So far, this offseason, the Pats have added many new receivers -- including Brandon Lloyd, Jabar Gaffney, and Donte' Stallworth. Deion Branch also agreed to a one-year deal to return and Wes Welker received the team's franchise tag. All the additions had pushed Ochocinco farther down the totem pole, where he was eventually released.
Ochocinco had not revealed his plans as of press time. Stay tuned...
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