The Atlanta Falcons released veteran wide receiver and longtime return ace Devin Hester on Tuesday.

The Falcons confirmed the roster move on their official site.

Hester signed with the Falcons ahead of the 2014 campaign after spending the first eight years of his career with the Chicago Bears. While he's never made a major impact on offense—his career high is 57 catches—his return ability made him a key weapon in the past.

The 33-year-old Miami product has racked up 19 career touchdowns on special teams—14 on punt returns and five on kick returns. But the rule changes on kickoffs and his fading physical skills as he heads into his mid-30s have made him less of an asset in recent years.

Just two of his return touchdowns have come since the start of the 2012 season. He's also made just 61 catches on offense during that span.

That said, Hester felt he could still make an impact when healthy. He played in just five games last season due to a turf toe injury and underwent toe surgery during the offseason. He explained his view of the situation to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com in May: 

At the end of the day, I feel like it's going to come down to how my toe feels. If my toe isn't ready, then I can't fault them for letting me go because it's a business. I can't go around thinking I'm safe if I'm not playing. I do understand that. 

But if I'm healthy, they'd be crazy to let me go. You've got to think about it: I was coming off a Pro Bowl season. It's not like I couldn't do it anymore. I just got hurt preseason last year and that blew the whole season.

Ultimately, the Falcons decided to move forward with their other receiving options as training camps kick off around the league this week. The move gives Atlanta $3 million in additional cap space while leaving $833,334 in dead money, per OverTheCap.com.

The Falcons will move forward with the likes of Mohamed Sanu, Justin Hardy and Eric Weems battling for playing time on offense alongside Julio Jones. Weems, who handled much of the return work while Hester was sidelined last season, should slide back into that role, too.

As for Hester, he'll probably get another opportunity elsewhere based on his terrific track record on special teams. He might have to wait until he can prove he's back to 100 percent healthwise before getting that next chance, though.