FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Patriots safety Patrick Chung, who had long planned to play this season after giving up the NFL 2020 campaign, reversed course and announced his retirement on Thursday.
Chung, 33, said on Instagram that “it’s time to start a new life.”
It would have been Chung’s 12th season in the NFL and his 11th with the Patriots. He played in 153 regular season games (122 starts) in addition to 23 playoff games (20 starts).
After initially joining the team as a draft pick in the second round in 2009 at the University of Oregon, Chung was part of three Super Bowl championship teams in New England. He spent one season with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013, but returned the following season and said the only coach he planned to play for was Bill Belichick.
In his Instagram post, Chung said he was making his retirement announcement through tears, thanking Belichick for “teaching me life on and off the field.”
Chung, whose toughness, versatility and work ethic have often been noted by Belichick, is the only player in NFL history to appear in the playoffs in each of his first 11 seasons. He was selected as a member of the Patriots’ 2010 All-Decade team.
Chung gave up the 2020 season for family reasons, CBS said in an interview: “It was a difficult decision. You want to play football. I’m at the end of my career, but when it comes to it, I feel like money isn’t that important. I have a pregnant friend, a little girl soon, my son has a little asthma, my father is 75 years old. I just felt that this was the best decision for my family to keep everyone safe. It’s not over, it’s just a little delayed. “
In this direction, Chung had recently trained at Gillette Stadium, indicating his plans to play again in 2021. But, obviously, things have changed in recent weeks.
The Patriots are safe, with rookies Devin McCourty and Adrian Phillips, and Kyle Dugger returning to the top of the 2020 draft. They also struck a four-year deal worth $ 24 million with defensive end Jalen Mills. who went from corner to safety last season with the Eagles.