Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel refused to entertain reports that wide receiver Kendrick Bourne and safety Marcus Epps requested to be released after the two veterans were part of the final round of cuts this week.
During a press conference Wednesday, Vrabel seemed surprised when asked about Bourne and Epps’ reported release requests, likening the situation to a scorned partner in a breakup.
“That’s news to me,” Vrabel said. “We just try to put the roster together. I guess when it doesn’t work out, you break up with somebody, your girlfriend doesn’t want to be with you, and then you say, well, I don’t want to be with you either. I’m not going to get into all that.”
Vrabel wouldn’t discuss the matter further and explained that he’s building his roster his way.
“I just said I’m not going to get into it. We’re not going to go back and forth here,” he said. “We’re trying to build a roster. You’ve got to move on from some guys, you make connections with guys, you coach them, they earn opportunities, they get more opportunities, they take advantage of them and that’s kind of how these things go.”
Bourne, who spent the last four seasons in Foxborough, was one of eight wideouts who made the Patriots’ initial 53-man roster before Tuesday’s deadline.
His request to be released was reported on Wednesday.
Bourne tallied 155 catches, 1,945 yards, and 11 touchdowns across 53 games.
The Boston Herald reported Tuesday that the Patriots granted Epps’ request for a release.
Epps signed with the Eagles — where he played from November 2019 through the 2022 season and started in Super Bowl LVII — on Wednesday, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Epps, who spent the last two seasons with the Raiders, was limited to just three games in 2024 due to a torn ACL.
The Patriots open the 2025 season against the Raiders on Sept. 7.
This is Vrabel’s first season at the helm in New England.