The news comes as no surprise. The team has also informed the tight end that it hopes to re-sign him for less money.

FOXBORO – The news comes as absolutely no surprise.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first to report on Saturday that the Patriots have informed tight end Dwayne Allen that they intend to release him with the hopes of re-signing him for less money.

The move will free up $7.3 million of salary cap space for the Patriots. Allen was due to earn a base salary of $6.4 million this season.

Allen, who recently turned 29, and a sixth-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft were acquired by the Patriots on March 9 2017, in a trade that sent a fourth-round choice in that year’s draft to the Indianapolis Colts.

The 6-foot-3, 265-pounder came to the Patriots having caught 126 passes for 1,451 yards and 19 touchdowns in 57 games (56 starts) over five seasons with the Colts, career highs of 45 for 521 yards coming in his rookie year as a third-round draft pick out of Clemson in 2012. He caught a career-high eight touchdown passes in 2014, his third year in Indy.

Allen evolved into a blocking tight end – in other words, he was a non-threat in the passing game – in New England, catching only 13 passes for 113 yards and one touchdown in 29 regular-season games (16 starts).

The Patriots finished their 2018 Super Bowl-winning season with Rob Gronkowski, Allen and Stephen Anderson, a late-season addition from the practice squad, on their depth chart at tight end. Second-year man Jacob Hollister finished an injury-plagued 2018 season on the injured reserve list and 2018 seventh-round draft choice Ryan Izzo spent all of last year on IR.