Patriots split up one of their twin pairs: Cody Hollister becomes an unrestricted free agent

Earlier today, the New England Patriots re-signed Jason McCourty to a two-year contract — a move that not only keeps one of the NFL’s best secondaries intact, but also allows the cornerback to continue playing alongside his twin brother, Patriots captain Devin McCourty. But while one set of twins will now stay in place, another was split up today: New England decided not to retain exclusive rights free agent Cody Hollister.

Without the Patriots placing a tender sheet on the 25-year old, the wide receiver’s tenure in New England has come to an end: he hits the open market as an unrestricted free agent, all while his twin brother Jacob Hollister remains on the world champions’ roster. The move itself does not come as too big a surprise, though, as Hollister showed little in his two years in the NFL and has yet to appear in a non-preseason game.

After spending his entire 2017 rookie season on the Patriots’ practice squad, the Arkansas product was signed to a futures deal following the season. In late July, however, the team decided to waive him with a non-football injury designation due to a back issue. While Hollister went unclaimed through the waiver wire, he had to sit out his entire 2018 campaign on New England’s non-football injury reserve list.

Given his status as an exclusive rights free agent, only the Patriots were allowed to extend an offer sheet to Hollister. Considering the team’s current wide receiver state, this would not have been a surprise. However, the club obviously decided against bringing Hollister back — effectively ending the two-twin-set era in New England. That being said, the club can of course still re-sign Hollister in case he does not get picked up by another team.