NFL: Patriots Get A QB; Cut Longtime Kicker

UNDATED (AP) – The New England Patriots have dropped their longtime kicker and picked up a quarterback.  The Patriots said goodbye to another longtime staple of their two-decade run of championships, releasing kicker and franchise leading scorer Stephen Gostkowski. The three-time Super Bowl champion has spent his entire 14-year career in New England.  Gostkowski has long passed Adam Vinatieri as the Patriots’ leading scorer with 1,775 points.  The 36-year-old Gostkowski started the first four games of 2019 but struggled, missing a career-high four extra points after not missing more than three in any of his previous 13 NFL seasons. He was placed on injured reserve in October and underwent season-ending hip surgery.  Brian Hoyer is now in the running to become Tom Brady’s replacement after accepting a one-year contract with the New England Patriots. The 34-year-old twice served as Brady’s backup and will compete with Jarrett Stidham and Cody Kessler for the starting job. Hoyer played four games and had one start with Indianapolis last season, completing 54% of his passes for 372 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions.