The New England Patriots are shedding ties with another familiar face.
The Boston Globe reported Monday that the team plans to release kicker Stephen Gostkowski.
Franchise quarterback Tom Brady, who helped the team win six Super Bowl titles, announced last week he was leaving the franchise and on Friday signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Gostkowski had a role in three of those championships and is franchise’s all-time leading scorer. He is entering the final season of his two-year, $8.5 million contract after finishing 2019 on injured reserve with an ailing left hip.
The 36-year-old made 7 of 8 field-goal attempts and just 11 of 15 extra-point tries in his 14th season in New England in 2019.
Gostkowski was selected by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft as a replacement for Adam Vinatieri, who had left for the Indianapolis Colts.
Gostkowski has made 374 of 428 field-goal attempts (87.4 percent) in his career, including 25 of 35 from 50-plus yards. He is a four-time Pro Bowl selection (2008, 2013-15) and was chosen first-team All-Pro in 2008 and 2015.