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The Kansas City Chiefs and new head coach Andy Reid got in on the NFL salary cap relief madness on Tuesday by releasing a pair of players, including ex-Giants tight end Kevin Boss.

Boss, 29, was the Giants’ fifth-round pick in 2007, starting as a backup tight end before ascending to the starting role when Jeremy Shockey broke his leg late that year. Over four years with the Giants, Boss started 45 of 58 games played and recorded 119 catches for 1,600 yards and 18 touchdowns, as well as a memorable 43-yard catch that set up the Giants’ first touchdown in Super Bowl XLII.

The 29-year-old left New York prior to the 2011 season to sign a four-year, $16 million contract with the Oakland Raiders, but he was released last spring after making just 28 catches for 368 yards and two touchdowns; Kansas City signed him for 2012, but he was placed on injured reserve after suffering a concussion in Week 2 and finished with three catches for 65 yards and one touchdown.

Kansas City’s other release was wide receiver Steve Breaston, who caught seven balls for 74 yards in 10 games with the Chiefs last season. Breaston, who began his career in Arizona in 2007, had signed a five-year deal with Kansas City prior to the 2011 season, and has 255 catches for 3,387 yards and nine touchdowns over his six-year career.

Those veterans were two of a handful of notable names cut Tuesday by NFL teams; earlier in the day, the Jets released five, including linebackers Calvin Pace and Bart Scott, while the New Orleans Saints cut tight end David Thomas in what general manager Mickey Loomis called an “extremely difficult decision.”

And, in one release that was more of a formality, the Green Bay Packers parted ways with center Jeff Saturday, who had already announced prior to the Pro Bowl that he would be retiring.

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