Patriots cut ties with WR Lloyd

The New England Patriots announced on Saturday that the team has released veteran wide receiver Brandon Lloyd.

Lloyd, 31, becomes the second experienced receiver that the Pats will be without next season after Wes Welker joined Denver as a free agent earlier this week. The Illinois product originally signed with the Patriots on March 20, 2012 after a brief stint with St. Louis.

Lloyd played in 16 games last season, hauling in 74 passes for 911 yards and four touchdowns. He has career totals of 385 receptions for 5,695 yards and 35 touchdowns over 128 contests, 88 of which have been starts.

His 12.3 yards per reception average this past season was the lowest output in his career since a 2007 season which saw him play just eight games.

Originally drafted by San Francisco in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft, Lloyd also played with Washington, Chicago and Denver.