Report: Matt Corral leaves Patriots 'without notice' on eve of season opener

Newly signed quarterback Matt Corral has left the Patriots “without notice” according to a report from the Boston Herald.

The Patriots signed Corral, the former Ole Miss star, after all NFL teams trimmed their rosters to the 53-player limit. Corral had been waived by the Panthers. But Bill Belichick signed him to back up Mac Jones.

Doug Kyed, the Herald reporter, posted on Twitter: “Explains the “not injury related” tag on the practice report Friday and his placement on the exempt/left squad list today.”

QB Matt Corral left the Patriots without notice, according to a source.

Explains the "not injury related" tag on the practice report Friday and his placement on the exempt/left squad list today.

— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) September 9, 2023

With Matt Corral leaving the team, the Patriots activated Bailey Zappe from the practice squad.

You rarely see an exempt-left squad designation. But here’s what it means. Corral can return to the team at any time. However, he can’t sign with another team while he’s still on the exempt list.

Corral already had been listed as questionable for the Patriots opener against the Eagles. New England listed him as missing practice, Friday, and deemed the absence as for a “non-injury” reason. However, he did practice Wednesday and Thursday.

The Patriots also made other roster moves. Aside from elevating Zappe, the Patriots also promoted Ty Montgomery and Calvin Munson from the practice squad.

The Panthers selected Matt Corral in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He didn’t play last season because of a foot injury. Carolina traded up to draft Bryce Young with the first pick of this year’s draft, indicating Corral really didn’t have a future as a starter with the Panthers.

Meanwhile, Belichick made an odd decision during roster cuts. He waived both Zappe and Malik Cunningham, the only two quarterbacks on the roster besides Jones. There was talk that the coach would look at more experienced quarterbacks who were available to work as Jones’ backup. Instead, he went with Corral, while placing both Zappe and Cunningham on the practice squad.

Zappe actually started two games last season, his rookie year. He won both of them. During the off season, Belichick indicated that the starting quarterback job was open for competition. But Jones started to impress during OTAs and mini camp under new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.

Belichick gave Matt Corral another chance. It’s unclear what happened to lead to his departure. Corral has spoken about dealing with depression that impacted his years at Ole Miss.

In a 2022 interview with Yahoo, Corral said “I was still training, and it just felt like I was just going through the motions. It just felt like I was being stagnant. There was no purpose as to what I was doing.”