Foxborough, Mass. ? Vinny Testaverde re-signed with the New England Patriots on Saturday for his 21st NFL season.

The move was expected once the Patriots completed two-a-day practice sessions last week. The 43-year-old quarterback signed with New England last Nov. 14 and played in three regular-season games, including the finale in which he extended his streak to 20 seasons with at least one touchdown pass.

The Patriots also released safety Artrell Hawkins, cornerback Gemara Williams and linebacker Kyle Bissinger.

Testaverde, the top overall pick in the 1987 draft by Tampa Bay after winning the Heisman Trophy at Miami, also has played for Cleveland, Baltimore, the New York Jets and Dallas.

He provides an experienced backup to Tom Brady. The Patriots other quarterback, Matt Cassel, has thrown just 32 passes in two seasons with the team after playing sparingly as a backup at Southern California.

Brady, Cassel and Matt Gutierrez, a rookie free agent, played in New England’s 27-24 exhibition loss to the Tennessee Titans on Friday night.

Testaverde has started 208 of his 226 NFL games and is in the top 10 on the career lists for yards, attempts, completions and touchdown passes.

The Patriots have today off and play their third exhibition game Friday night at Carolina.