Wide receiver Eric Decker has announced his retirement from the NFL only weeks after signing a one-year contract with the New England Patriots. Decker appeared to be on the roster bubble after spending the first half of Friday's preseason matchup against Carolina, on the bench, which was incidentally the only time Tom Brady took first team reps.
On Saturday coach Bill Bill Belichick was asked to assess Eric Decker's adherence to the Pats' system. "I think Eric's learned everything well. Again, he had a background in this system in Denver," said Belichick rather positively. "He has a lot of experience of some of the more sophisticated routes, option routes and things like that."
Decker's signing at the beginning of the month coincided with the released of oft-injured wideout Josh Matthews, the club also doing away with veterans Malcolm Mitchell and Kenny Britt throughout camp, despite the fact wide receiver is a position of need going into 2018.
Decker took the moment to thank his wife and kids for their support along the way, but not before putting the spotlight on the "hard-working" teammates and staffers that tend to his beck and call for 8 solid years of service. The Patriots will thus start the season short staffed due to the four game suspension Julian Edelman incurred for violating the league's drug policy.