The Philadelphia Eagles have released wide receiver Freddie Mitchell, the former first round pick of the team. The Eagles had much higher hopes for Mitchell, but he never lived up to the teams expectations. The move has been expected.

"We appreciate everything Freddie has contributed to the Eagles organization over the last four years," said head coach Andy Reid. "By releasing him now, it gives him the opportunity for a new start with another team in the NFL."

Mitchell shot his mouth off often with the Eagles, including before the Super Bowl when he claimed he had something special for the New England secondary - safety Rodney Harrison in paticular. In turn, Mitchell did not even produce in the Super Bowl.

Mitchell did have some occasional good moments with the team. Against Green Bay two seasons ago, he recorded the famous "4th and 26" catch. In this years playoffs, he also recovered a fumble in the end zone after a teammate was stripped of the ball.

In his four year career with the Eagles, Mitchell played in 63 games with 90 catches, 1,263 yards and five touchdowns.