Patriots: Patrick Chung explains his reasoning behind opting out

Patriots DB Patrick Chung has a very good reason for opting out of 2020.

The New England Patriots lost a good portion of their defense in one fell swoop on Tuesday, when LB Dont’a Hightower and DB Patrick Chung followed OL stalwart Marcus Cannon in choosing not to play the 2020 season, which is already under duress.

Jason McCourty detailed the myriad reasons why he doesn’t believe the season will finish on his “Double Coverage” podcast this week, and it likely won’t be long before many NFL players on other teams will make the similar, educated decision to leave this year behind.

Chung delivered a wise explanation on Wednesday for his decision during an appearance on CBS This Morning, setting the tone as the rest of the NFL prepares to make a similar call. If you’re considering doubting his logic, please watch the message he delivered.

Patriots DB Patrick Chung’s family led to him opting out of 2020.

“Of course it’s a tough decision,” Chung stated. “You want to play football. I’m in the latter end of my career, so I wanted to play football. But when it comes down to it, money is just not that important.”

Since the rash of Patriots began opting out (and yes, more players on other franchises will follow), conspiracy theorists began accusing Bill Belichick of being behind the whole charade.

While some will believe he’s masterminding a tank for Trevor Lawrence, or has some sort of dastardly plan, it’s much more likely he’s just an understanding listener who’s allowing his players to do what they feel comfortable doing.

When (if) the Patriots take the field in 2020, both sides of the ball will look extremely different, which would’ve already been the case prior to the pandemic.

If at any point you feel frustrated, though, Patriots fans, I’d recommend watching Chung’s video again. The reasoning here goes so far beyond football that it should satiate you.