Andy Dalton has been released by the Cincinnati Bengals after nine years with the team.

The Bengals have moved in a different direction at quarterback after taking Joe Burrow with the first overall pick of last week's NFL Draft.

Attempts to trade Dalton, 32, have not come to fruition, so the team have opted to make him a free agent rather than play out the last year of his contract.

The move almost certainly means Burrow will start Week 1 at QB and ends suggestions the team could retain Dalton in a backup role.

Speculation has connected Dalton with the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars, as he joins former NFL MVP Cam Newton among the top signal callers available on the open market.

Dalton had a winning record as the Bengals' QB, going 70-61-2 in the regular season while throwing 204 touchdowns to 118 interceptions.

But the 2011 second-round pick was unable to end the franchise's long wait for a playoff win, their last having come in 1990.