FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Veteran wide receiver Eric Decker, who had signed a one-year contract with the New England Patriots on Aug. 3, announced his retirement on Instagram Sunday afternoon.
Decker appeared to be on the roster bubble despite the Patriots' need at receiver, as he didn't play in the first half of Friday's preseason loss to the Carolina Panthers -- which was the only time quarterback Tom Brady was in the game.
On Saturday, head coach Bill Belichick had been asked about Decker's acclimation to the Patriots' system and said, "I think Eric's learned everything well.