Dolphins release Ray Lucas

Davie, FL (Sports Network) - The Miami Dolphins have terminated the contract of quarterback Ray Lucas. Lucas, a seven-year veteran, spent the last two seasons with Miami after a four-year stint with the New York Jets.

He played in seven games last season for the Dolphins, including six starts, and completed 92-of-160 passes for 1,045 yards, with four touchdowns and six interceptions.

"Ray came to me and asked that we resolve his status as quickly as possible," said Dolphins head coach Dave Wannstedt. "Because of the respect that we have for him, we wanted to accommodate that request, and that is why we made this move today. I met with Ray, thanked him for his contributions to the Dolphins, and wished him the best of success in the future.

"We still feel that Ray can be productive in this league, but we believe this move is in everyone�s best interest. This gives him time to try to start working as soon as possible with whatever team he winds up with, rather than coming on board in June.

"Without mentioning any specific names, we feel there are some quality veteran quarterbacks who can help this football team, and we�re confident that we will be able to add a quarterback like that to our roster before the start of training camp."

Lucas was pushed into the starter's role during the 2002 campaign when Jay Fiedler went down with a broken right thumb. Lucas had a dismal outing in a loss to Buffalo on October 20, throwing four interceptions in his first NFL start since 1999, when he was with the Jets.

The move comes on the same day that Miami agreed to terms with 12 college free agents, including quarterbacks Josh Blankenship and Lon Sheriff.

04/28 18:58:57 ET