Patriots Re-Sign Second-Longest Tenured Veteran
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FOXBORO — The New England Patriots have agreed to terms with free-agent long snapper Joe Cardona.
The news was first reported on Thursday evening by none other than his former teammate Jason McCourty of NFL Network.
Cardona’s contract is expected be a four-year pact, which includes a $1 million signing bonus, per ESPN.
A native of San Diego, California, Cardona attended the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, Rhode Island, for one year before enrolling in the United States Naval Academy. At Navy, he was a four-year starter in football as a long snapper, where he was not charged with a single bad snap. During his four years at Navy, the Midshipmen compiled a 30–21 record, including four wins over arch-rival Army, and played in three bowl games.
In 2015, the Patriots selected Cardona in the fifth round (166th overall) of the 2015 NFL draft, making him the fourth pure long snapper to be drafted in NFL history. He was also the second drafted by the Patriots, who selected Jacob Ingram in the sixth-round in 2009. He was a member of two Patriots’ Super Bowl Championship teams (LI, LIII), and was chosen to the New England Patriots All-Dynasty Team.
The 30-year-old had been a pillar of durability since joinin the team in 2015. However, he experienced a torn tendon in his foot during New England’s Week 14 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. Despite being listed on the team’s injury report for Week 15, Cardona chose to play through it for their next matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders. Throughout the week, the injury worsened, forcing him to miss both of the team’s practices. Cardona was eventually placed on season-ending injured reserve for the first time in his career. In his stead, the Patriots signed former Dallas Cowboys practice squadder Tucker Addison, who filled the role for the remainder of the season.
With the end of his season, Cardona’s impressive streak of consecutive games played came to an end. The ex-Midshipman appeared in 140 straight games for the Patriots — 127 in the regular season and 13 playoff contests.
Cardona’s return helps to ensure that New England will retain one of their most well-respected locker room leaders. His active tenure on the Pats special teams is second only to team captain Matthew Slater.
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