FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots released WR Chad Ochocinco today.
Ochocinco, 34, was acquired by the Patriots in a trade with the Cincinnati Bengals on July 29, 2011. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder played in 15 games with three starts in the regular season last year and finished with 15 receptions for 276 yards and one touchdown. He played in two of the three 2011 postseason games and caught one pass for 21 yards in the Super Bowl XLVI loss to the New York Giants.
Ochocinco spent 10 seasons in Cincinnati after joining the Bengals as a second-round draft pick (36th overall) out of Oregon State in 2001. A six time Pro Bowl receiver (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009), he has played in 166 NFL games with 135 starts and has registered 766 receptions for 11,059 yards and 67 touchdowns. He became the first player in NFL history to lead his conference in receiving yards in four straight seasons (2003-06). Oakland's Tim Brown and San Francisco's Jerry Rice were conference leaders in three straight seasons.
