National Football League

Patriots release veteran safety Gregory

Published Feb. 28, 2014 3:49 p.m. ET

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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) -- The New England Patriots have released safety Steve Gregory.

The 31-year-old Gregory has played eight seasons, including the past two with the Patriots.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder joined the Patriots as an unrestricted free agent on March 16, 2012, after six seasons with the San Diego Chargers.

Gregory played in 26 games with the Patriots over the past two seasons with 23 starts and had 145 tackles, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Last season, he played in 14 games with 11 starts and finished with a career-high 90 tackles.

He entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with San Diego out of Syracuse on May 8, 2006.

During his eight NFL seasons, Gregory has played in 111 games with 54 starts and has 386 tackles, seven interceptions and 27 special teams tackles. He has also played in 11 postseason games with five starts and has 32 tackles.