The New England Patriots placed quarterback Matt Corral on the Exempt/Left Squad list just hours before their Week 1 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Now, new information has revealed just how long Corral has been away from the club.
Corral, the 94th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, was claimed off waivers by New England before the regular season. Once viewed as the favorite to be the Patriots’ second-string quarterback, Corral’s future is now in doubt.
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- Matt Corral college stats (2021): 20-5 TD-INT, 155.3 QB rating, 3,349 passing yards
According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, Corral hasn’t shown up to Gillette Stadium for practice in the past two days. He skipped walkthroughs and meetings, leaving the Patriots’ coaching staff with no choice but to place him on the exempt list.
New England is still determining its next course of action and Corral’s long-term future with the organization. In Corral’s absence, the Patriots added quarterback Bailey Zappe to the active roster and he’ll serve as Mac Jones’ backup in Week 1.
- Matt Corral contract: $936,557 salary in 2023, $1.168 million salary in 2024, $1.399 million salary in 2025
Carolina originally traded up with New England to draft Corral in 2022. At the time, the Patriots acquired a 2022 fourth-round pick and a 2023 third-round pick in exchange for moving down. Corral later suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury in a preseason game against New England.
Last week, head coach Bill Belichick explained the team’s rationale behind using a waiver claim on Corral. However, he stated early this week that New England hadn’t yet determined who would be its No. 2 quarterback entering the regular season.
“We claimed him when he was available. Take a look at him and see how it goes. Had a very good career at Mississippi, and then hasn’t really had a lot of chance to do much in the last two years. Was injured and missed some time, but had a good preseason. So, we’ll see how it goes. Look forward to working with him.”
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick on claiming Matt Corral off waivers
Corral’s absence from the team is not injury-related. Prior to his placement on the exempt list, Belichick indicated to reporters on Friday that Zappe’s “advantage on experience and time in the system” might make him the Patriots’ backup quarterback.
