The Patriots Tuesday waived three players, including DT Jonathan Fanene, whose contract was terminated.

It's a big financial blow for the Patriots, who gave Fanene a $3.85-million signing bonus on a three-year deal this offseason to come over from the Bengals. The Patriots will eat that money over the next two years.

Fanene had not been seen with the Patriots since the early stages of camp as he dealt with a knee injury, a league source said.

There's two possible reasons why the team wouldn't just put Fanene on injured reserve. The injury may have been chronic with little hope for recovery, or some other reason, such as a discipline issue.

Coach Bill Belichick would not reveal the reason.

"It just didn’t work out," he said. "I don’t really think there’s much to add than that; it just didn’t work out."