Devin McCourty is one of the most important players in the New England Patriots’ locker room.
The 34-year-old has spent 12 seasons with the team and he’s only missed a total of five games over that duration. McCourty is a two-time Pro Bowler and he’s the heart and soul of the Patriots’ secondary.
On the latest episode of the Double Coverage podcast with his brother Jason McCourty, Devin discussed the possibility of retirement.
“(I plan on) just hanging out,” he said, transcribed by WEEI. “Hanging out with the fam, getting an opportunity to not think about football for at least a month or two. I think even at this age, I’m going to continue to do the offseason stuff that I usually do, just to give myself that option of what you want to do next.
“But I still feel great. Going over all of the tests and all the things that we do during the season with our sports performance guy Johan, I haven’t had a dropoff in athletic ability and the physical traits to play the game. So it all really comes down to mentally and being ready and being able to tap back in and go through a full season. I think those are the things you have to think about.
“But I’m definitely going to take my time and see what happens for the future. I try not to say, ‘I’ll never do this’ or ‘I’m only going to do that’ and just kind of let it play itself out and see how it goes.”
McCourty will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, so it’s possible he doesn’t land with the Patriots at all — but, it’s unlikely he goes elsewhere. Jason feels pretty strongly in Devin’s potential to continue playing.
“This guy is playing at such a high level in his career,” Jason said. “No way he hangs ’em up. Just my opinion.”
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