Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY SportsNew England Patriots offensive lineman Bryan Stork was initially traded to the Washington Redskins on Aug. 23 for a conditional seventh-round pick, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
However, ESPN 980's Chris Cooley reported Monday that "Stork failed his physical and his rights are reverting back to the Patriots." NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the "Redskins were frustrated with Stork and this was the final chapter of the saga."
Doug Kyed of NESN later reported the Patriots released Stork, citing a source.
Stork cleared waivers on Tuesday, according to Kyed.
Stork had tweeted a statement about his future Saturday:
Stork's tweet came after news broke that he was reportedly weighing the possibility of retirement, per Rapoport on Aug. 24. Brian McNally of 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C., noted at the time that Stork and the Redskins were still "figuring it out," even with the trade being made official.
Head coach Jay Gruden told reporters on Aug. 25 that he was "still not sure" of Stork's status. Gruden said he initially heard Stork was "upbeat."
Anthony Gulizia of the Washington Times reported on Aug. 25 that Stork "was initially fired up" about the trade, but then "uncertainty set in."
Rapoport originally reported before the trade that Stork was going to be released by the Patriots, and Tom E. Curran of CSNNE later confirmed it. According to Mike Reiss of ESPN, Stork was traded after the Patriots notified him of their intention to release him.
The 25-year-old was a fourth-round pick for the Pats out of Florida State in the 2014 NFL draft. He started 11 games at center for New England as a rookie en route to winning the Super Bowl.
Stork started six games last season and appeared in only eight, and Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com pointed out that durability was an issue:
Mike Petraglia @TragsStork was injury prone and had issues relating not just with the media but teammates. And that was a big problem.
Yianni Kourakis of Fox Providence doubled down on the notion that Stork didn't know how to properly conduct himself with the media:
Yianni Kourakis @YianniKourakisBryan Stork will be known for wearing short shorts in January and for being a jerk to the media
In addition, Stork was tossed from a joint practice with the Chicago Bears on Aug. 16 after throwing punches at Bears linebacker John Timu, per Reiss.
With Stork ailing, David Andrews made 11 starts at center for the Patriots last season. He is now the overwhelming favorite to secure the full-time starting job in 2016. That leaves Josh Kline and Ted Karras to battle for the backup spot with Jimmy Garoppolo under center for the first four games.
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