FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots and former Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner had envisioned a scenario where Gardner might follow in the footsteps of Julian Edelman in making the transition to NFL wide receiver.
But the sides ended the experiment after just 11 days, with the Patriots waiving Gardner on Monday. The Patriots gave Gardner a $5,000 signing bonus and also guaranteed $10,000 of his base salary.
Gardner was one of three players released by New England on Monday -- along with first-year linebacker Cameron Gordon and fourth-year cornerback Chimdi Chekwa -- as the team positioned itself to bolster positions that need more depth. The Patriots are deep at receiver, numbers-wise.
The 23-year-old Gardner was a four-year letterman at Michigan, appearing in 49 games with 31 starts overall as a quarterback and wide receiver. He finished his college career sixth in school history with 44 passing touchdowns, fourth with 6,336 passing yards and fourth with 475 completions.
