Patriots offensive lineman reportedly leaves team to consider future in pro football

It's not uncommon for an NFL team to announce roster moves the day before a game in the interest of making final alternations to the game-day roster. It is rare, however, to report on that a player has left the team—just as offensive lineman Chukwuma Okorafor did with the New England Patriots this week.

On Saturday, the Patriots announced the promotion of interior offensive lineman Michael Jordan from the team's practice squad in conjunction with the placement of Okorafor on the team's Left Squad list.

The move for Okorafor creates a roster exemption for the team that keeps him from counting against the 53-man roster.

The New England Patriots announced some roster moves on Saturday that changed the makeup of the offensive line.

The Patriots benched Okorafor as their starting left tackle only a dozen or so snaps into their season-opening game against the Cincinnati Bengals—a surprising 16-10 victory over Joe Burrow and company that might have been the biggest shock of Week 1. Okorafor was replaced by Vederian Lowe in the lineup, who could remain in place for Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks.

Okorafor joined the Patriots this offseason on a single-season deal worth up to $4 million, but nothing has been smooth about the addition since his arrival. First, the Patriots were asking Okorafor to switch from the right side to the left despite only playing the former since his arrival at the professional level back in 2018 as the Pittsburgh Steelers third-round draft pick that spring.

Okorafor was honest after his arrival in New England and said the transition would take time given the difference from one side to another. Even this summer, Okorafor was predicted to be the Patriots' biggest roster bust by Bleacher Report's David Kenyon, who cited the transition as a primary reason for his choice.

It was also clear in preseason games that Okorafor was struggling to lock down his role to protect Drake Maye's blindside.

Accordin to Patriots columnist Karen Guregian of MassLive, Okorafor is now reportedly trying to decide about his long-term interests in playing professional football.

Okorafor, who just turned 27 years old in August, has started 60 games, 59 of them for the Steelers, over the last six-plus seasons in the NFL.