The Patriots waived Thornton on Saturday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Selected with the 50th pick overall by New England in the 2022 NFL Draft, Thornton never lived up to expectations over the first two and a half years of his NFL career, partially due to injuries that limited him to just nine appearances in 2023. He's generally stayed healthy in 2024 but has been unable to carve out a regular role in the wideout rotation, as Thornton had been a healthy inactive in four of the previous five contests. The 24-year-old receiver will be a casualty on the 53-man roster with the Patriots needing to make room for star defensive lineman Christian Barmore, who was activated from the reserve/non-football illness list.