FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced today that they have re-signed LB Mike Rivera and DB Derrick Martin. Terms of the contracts were not announced. The team has also released DB Sterling Moore from the 53-man roster and TE Alex Silvestro from the practice squad.
Rivera, 26, made the Patriots 53-man roster out of training camp this year and played in the first two games of the season before being released on Sept. 19. He was signed by Miami on Sept. 25 and played in one game for the Dolphins before being released on Oct. 3.
The 6-foot-2, 255-pounder spent most of last season on the Patriots' practice squad after being released by Miami following training camp. Rivera originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent out of Kansas by the Chicago Bears in 2009. After being released by Chicago, Rivera was signed by Tennessee to the practice squad. He was released by Tennessee after training camp in 2010 and joined Green Bay's practice squad before being signed by Miami to the 53-man roster late in the season.
Martin, 27, signed with the Patriots on Aug. 4, 2012, and was released at the end of training camp. He is a veteran of six NFL seasons with Baltimore (2006-08), Green Bay (2009-10) and the New York Giants (2011). The 5-foot-10, 198-pounder originally entered the NFL as a sixth-round draft pick (208th overall) of Baltimore out of Wyoming in the 2006 NFL Draft. He was traded by Baltimore to Green Bay on Sept. 5, 2009, for G Tony Moll. Martin was then cut by Green Bay on March 2, 2011, and then signed with the Giants on August 16, 2011. Martin has played in 61 NFL games with four starts and has registered 30 total tackles, three interceptions and eight passes defensed. Last season with the Giants, he played in 14 games and all four postseason contests, including Super Bowl XLVI against the Patriots.
Moore, 22, was originally signed by the Patriots off the Oakland Raiders' practice squad on Oct. 5, 2011, and spent the majority of the rest of the regular season between the practice squad and the 53-man roster before ultimately being signed to the 53-man roster on Dec. 23. Moore appeared in six regular season games with three starts in 2011 and played in all three playoff games. The 5-foot-10, 200-pounder has played in 14 regular season games with three starts in his two-year career and appeared in all three playoff contests last year. He has registered 25 total tackles, 2 interceptions, nine passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He earned NFL Rookie of the Week Honors following his Week 17 performance vs. Buffalo (1/1) last season, in which he made his first two career interceptions, returning the initial pick 21 yards for his first NFL touchdown.
Silvestro, 23, originally joined the Patriots a rookie free agent defensive lineman from Rutgers in 2011. The 6-foot-3, 260-pounder, spent the majority of his rookie season on the New England practice squad. He was signed to the 53-man roster prior to the Patriots game vs. Miami on Dec. 24 last season and played in a reserve role, finishing with two total tackles. Silvestro returned to the practice squad before being signed to the 53-man roster the day before the Super Bowl. He was active but did not play in the game. Silvestro converted to tight end in the offseason. He was released by the Patriots at the end of training camp this year and has had two stints on the practice squad so far this season.
