The New England Patriots have come out of the gate flying on a list you’d really not want to even exist. It’s very understandable that these tough decisions have to be made, but as of Tuesday morning, at least five players on the Patriots have opted out of the upcoming 2020 NFL season.
After bargaining between the NFL and NFLPA, players have the right to opt-out of playing next season due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. For the Patriots, the list of players doing so grew fast and furiously, and has included some key pieces of their roster.
Those players that have opted out so far include linebacker Dont’a Hightower, tackle Marcus Cannon, fullback Danny Vitale, guard Najee Toran and running back Brandon Bolden, according to Patriots Wire.
Hightower, a former first round-pick, longstanding starter and major contributor to New England’s defense, released a statement to explain why he’s skipping this season.
“Me and my fiancée are just more concerned with the health of our family than football — especially the new addition (of a baby boy) to our family,” he wrote Tuesday, via NFL Network.
Without Hightower, the Pats’ linebacker room isn’t looking very deep. Via free agency, the Patriots lost Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins.
Cannon, a survivor of Non-Hodgkins’ lymphoma, opted out and was previously slated as New England’s starting right tackle.
Vitale, Toran and Bolden played smaller roles for the Pats by comparison, but their services are no longer going to be benefiting the Patriots in 2020. Again, their decisions are understandable due to COVID-19. Per Patriots Wire, Vitale, like Hightower, both had a child born recently. But this offseason has already been a franchise-shaking one for the club after the loss of quarterback Tom Brady and now here’s another layer for New England to deal with.
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