Patriots reportedly re-sign long snapper Joe Cardona to 4-year deal

Patriots

Joe Cardona is the second-longest-tenured player on the Patriots roster, behind only Matthew Slater.

Close to a month after Matthew Slater announced his return to Foxborough, the Patriots are reportedly bringing another special-teams stalwart back into the fold. 

New England agreed to terms on a contract to bring back long snapper Joe Cardona on Thursday, per … Jason McCourty? 

Yes, the former Patriots defensive back — and twin brother of Devin McCourty — was the first to break the news on Twitter. ESPN’s Mike Reiss later reported that Cardona’s new contract is a four-year deal with a $1 million signing bonus. 

Cardona is set to return for a ninth season in New England, with the 30-year-old standing as the second-longest-tenured Patriot on the roster behind Slater. Before missing three games at the end of the 2022 season due to an ankle injury, Cardona had appeared in 127 consecutive games with the Patriots.

While Cardona will remain in his spot on New England’s special-teams squad, it remains to be seen who exactly he will be snapping the ball to. As of Thursday night, the Patriots have no punter on their roster after releasing Jake Bailey last Saturday. 

News of Cardona’s contract was a nice scoop for Jason McCourty, who has served as an analyst on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” since retiring after the 2021 season.

It seems like Devin McCourty will be following in his brother’s footsteps, given that the longtime Pats captain has been a frequent guest on multiple media channels since announcing his retirement last week.