Dec 15, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (84) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Mike Vrabel sent a simple message to everyone on his roster following the Patriots cutting wide receiver Kendrick Bourne and safety Marcus Epps.
If they don't want to be in New England, their head coach will show them the door.
Bourne requested his release from the Patriots, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, after Epps asked for his dismissal on Tuesday, per Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald. So how did Vrabel navigate those situations?
"I don't know who you're referring to, I guess, specifically," Vrabel said.
When it was clarified to Vrabel that the question was referring to reports about Bourne and Epps asking for their releases, he apparently wasn't aware of any such decision on each player's part. He instead clarified it was the Patriots' decisions to move on.
"Yeah, that's news to me," Vrabel said. "I think that we just, again, try to put the roster together. I guess when it doesn't work out, you break up with somebody, your girlfriend doesn't want to be with you, and then you say, 'Well, I don't want to be with you either.' I'm not going to get into all that.
"I just said I'm not going to get into it. It was just like, you know what I mean? We're not going to go back and forth here. We're trying to build a roster. You've got to move on from some guys. You make connections with guys, you coach them, they earn opportunities, they get more opportunities, they take advantage of them and that's kind of how these things go."
So. Sounds like Vrabel isn't going to miss Bourne or Epps all that much.