BOSTONSTANGS.COM

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots signed veteran running back LaMont Jordan today. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Additionally, the team released first-year wide receiver Robert Ortiz.

Jordan, 29, is a veteran of seven NFL seasons with the New York Jets (2001-04) and Oakland Raiders (2005-07). The 5-foot-10-inch, 230-pound running back has played in 97 career games with 29 starts and has totaled 792 rushes for 3,285 yards (4.1 avg.) and 24 touchdowns, while catching 158 career passes for 1,301 yards (8.2 avg.) and three touchdowns. He has also recorded 33 kickoff returns for 667 yards (20.2 avg.). Last season with Oakland, Jordan played in 12 games with seven starts and ran the ball 144 times for 549 yards (3.8 avg.) and three touchdowns while catching 28 passes for 247 yards (8.8 avg.). He was released by the Raiders on Friday, July 25, 2008.

Jordan was selected by the Jets in the second round (49th overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft. He spent the first four seasons of his career with New York, playing in 62 games for the Jets while totaling 262 rushes for 1,277 yards (4.9 avg.) and 10 touchdowns. Jordan signed with the Raiders as an unrestricted free agent prior to the 2005 season. That year, he started all 14 games and set a career high with 1,025 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns. He also set career marks in 2005 with 70 receptions for 563 yards and two touchdowns. In 2006, he played in nine games with eight starts for the Raiders and totaled 434 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 114 carries while adding 10 receptions for 74 yards.

Ortiz, 25, was signed by the Patriots as a first-year free agent on May 15, 2008. The 6-foot-1-inch, 18ound wide receiver has not played in an NFL game, but was in training camp with the San Diego Chargers (2006) and Seattle Seahawks (2007). Ortiz was originally signed by the Chargers as a rookie free agent on May 4, 2006