Patriots News: Stephen Gostkowski Cut; Franchise's All-Time Leading Scorer

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

Tom Brady isn't the only longtime member of the New England Patriots departing the team this offseason.

The Pats released kicker Stephen Gostkowski, the franchise's all-time leading scorer, on Monday.

The NFL Network's Michael Giardi added that Gostkowski "expressed a desire to play back in January but said he needed to get healthy first. Still had a limp from in-season hip surgery."

The veteran kicker played in just four games last season, with his season ending prematurely due to a left hip injury. In his stead, the team turned to a number of kickers, including Nick Folk (14-for-17 on field goals), Mike Nugent (5-for-8) and Kai Forbath (1-of-1).

The team currently has a vacancy at the position, with Folk—who finished the season as the kicker—remaining a free agent. 

Gostkowski, 36, was excellent during his 14 seasons in New England, converting 374-of-428 field goals (87.4 percent) and 653-of-664 extra points (98 percent). In the postseason, he was 31-for-36 on field goals and 79-for-83 on extra points. 

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His 1,775 points is the most in franchise history, and his six Super Bowl appearances are tied for second-most in NFL history, trailing only Tom Brady (nine). He was a four-time Pro Bowler, two-time first-team All-Pro and three-time champion. 

With Brady and Gostkowski gone, special teams standout Matthew Slater is now the longest-tenured Patriot at 12 seasons.