FOXBOROUGH — From the time he started speaking, it took just 8 seconds for David Andrews’ voice to crack.
Standing at the podium under a giant screen with his picture and his No. 60, the retiring New England Patriots center looked like a man who belonged among regular people.
During his nine-year NFL career, with his thick beard and long hair, he looked ready to help William Wallace free Scotland. But on Monday, Andrews’ hair was shorter, his beard trimmed neat and he looked much svelter than the 300 pounds he played at.
But as prepared as he appeared, actually turning the page to the next chapter of his life was emotional.
The Patriots were turning a page too. Andrews and Joe Cardona (who was cut in April) were the last two active players who’d won Super Bowls for New England. Andrews’ ceremony Monday closed the book on that chapter.
Tom Brady was obviously the face of that era, but in many ways, Andrews perfectly embodied the spirit of what they were trying to be.
Bill Belichick almost never used hyperbole when talking about active players on his own team. But late in 2023, his final season as an NFL coach, he gushed when asked about Andrews’ leadership.
“It’s been as good as I’ve seen, honestly. Every day, his performance on a daily basis is really exceptional. Attitude, effort, communication, energy, leadership of the younger players, leadership of his peers, communication, you name it,” Belichick said. “Like everybody who plays a lot of football, you get banged up, you’re going to deal with some stuff during the year. He’s shown a lot of physical toughness to play through that, a lot of mental toughness. He would never come out of practice for a play. We have to take him out to help manage some of the bumps and bruises that he has. But, this guy is a warrior.”
Andrews rose to that lofty status after arriving as an undrafted free agent and played his entire career like his job was still on the line. He became a respected leader on two Super Bowl-winning teams. He got every bit out of his talent while emerging as a role model for how to be a pro for his younger teammates.
Andrews had no arrests. No off-field issues or questionable yacht parties. Not even a contract squabble. Even when the team around him started struggling late in his career, Andrews was still tough and accountable. He won’t be easy to replace.
Andrews will be golfing and parenting when the 2025 Patriots take the field for camp next month, but his influence will still be felt as players he mentored take on larger roles.
“I tried to look at him, and model my game after him,” said Mike Onwenu, a late round pick who emerged as a mainstay. “A lot of things don’t really matter especially when you step on the field, when you step between those lines. It’s just the play that’s called, and the guy that’s across from you. So, you just try to live that way.”
Andrews said his approach was simple.
“I think the biggest thing is just to be genuine. Be who you are as a leader and because if you’re not people see through that,” he said. “But part of being a leader is having a relationship with guys. If you don’t have a relationship with anyone and you can’t really lead them.
“I watched a lot of, a lot of guys when I came into the league,” Andrews continued and listed several former teammates. “I watched how they did things, how they carried themselves and tried to learn and soak up what I could. They had such a huge impact on my career and life. I was so fortunate to come into an organization like this.”
Andrews’ Georgia drawl remains as rich as when he arrived in 2015 and he still has property outside of Atlanta, but Andrews, his wife Mackenzie and their sons Ford and Worth, are staying in New England. It’s home now. That’s part of why, when the Patriots cut him in March following last year’s shoulder injury, he chose to call it a career rather than sign elsewhere.
“I obviously still wanted to play, but I didn’t want to do it for another organization,” he said. “That isn’t what I had in mind to finish my career. I wanted to finish it here. And I did.”
