Six New England Patriots opt-out of the 2020 NFL season

With coronavirus continuing to spread throughout the United States, National Football League players now have the opportunity to opt-out of their contract for the 2020 season. Of the 31 players who have decided not to play, are six New England Patriots.

6) Najee Toran–The 6’2”, 305 pound offensive lineman from Houston, Texas signed with the Patriots to be on their practice squad on September 2, 2019. He then signed on to be a reserve offensive lineman for the Patriots back in January. A guard, Toran played his college football with UCLA, and was on the San Francisco 49ers’ active roster in 2018.

5) Danny Vitale–In what was supposed to be his fifth NFL season, Vitale signed a one- year contract with the Patriots from the Green Bay Packers on March 21. A fullback from Wheaton, Illinois, Vitale played 2016 and 2017 with the Cleveland Browns, and 2018 and 2019 with the Cheeseheads. The 26-year-old from Northwestern University has 15 career catches for 145 yards, and one rush for three yards.

4) Marcus Cannon–The veteran offensive right tackle from Odessa, Texas has played 115 games for New England on their offensive line since 2011. The three-time Super Bowl champion for the Patriots, Cannon was a second-team All-Pro in 2016. While at the 2011 NFL Combine, Cannon was diagnosed with cancer. He has been in remission for seven years.

3) Brandon Bolden–The backup running back from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Bolden has spent eight seasons in the NFL, and seven with New England. Bolden played six seasons with the Patriots, and won two Super Bowls, before joining the Miami Dolphins in 2018. He then returned to New England in March of 2019. Last season with the Pats, Bolden had 15 rushes for 68 yards and three touchdowns, along with nine catches for 111 yards and a touchdown.

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2) Dont’a Hightower–The two-time Pro Bowl linebacker and three-time Super Bowl champion will be missed significantly on the Patriots defense. In 2019, Hightower had a Pro Bowl season as he had four pass deflections, one fumble recovery for 26 yards and one touchdown, 5.5 sacks, 71 combined tackles (47 solo tackles and 24 assisted tackles), eight tackles for a loss and 13 quarterback hits. The native of Lewisburg, Tennessee registered his touchdown on October 27 in a 27-13 Patriots win over the Cleveland Browns. Hightower has been with the Patriots since 2012.

1)Patrick Chung–Like Bolden, Patrick Chung started with the Patriots, went somewhere else for one season and then re-joined New England. In Chung’s case, he was with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013. The veteran defensive back from Kingston, Jamaica has provided the Patriots with stability at the safety position and has won three Super Bowls. One could argue that safety is one of the most difficult positions to play in the NFL, as the player has to cover a significant amount of territory on the football field. In 2019, Chung had three pass deflections, 51 combined tackles (38 solo tackles and 13 combined tackles), and one tackle for a loss.

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