‘Patriot until I die’
Chung retires after 11-year career
Patriots safety Patrick Chung announced his retirement from the NFL on Thursday after an 11-year career.
Chung, 33, had been expected to return after opting out of the 2020 season. He retires a three-time Super Bowl champion and nine-year starter in New England. He is a member of the franchise’s 2010s All-Decade team.
Chung was an unheralded contributor to several of the Patriots’ best defenses since he entered the league as a second-round pick out of Oregon in 2009. Chung was also voted a team captain in 2018. In his last season, he finished with 51 tackles and three pass deflections over 13 game appearances.
In an Instagram post, Chung wrote: “I want to say thank you to the Patriots organization, my family, my fans, coaches, just everyone.
I’m in tears writing this but I’ve decided to hang up the cleats. Bill, Mr. Kraft, thank you for giving me the opportunity to play for your team for 11 years. I love you.
“Bill, for teaching me life on and off the field, (I) will not forget that. To me teammates, trainers, Eq team, video guys, meal room employees, janitors, etc. I love you guys and ladies. Thank you for being the rock to the organization. For cleaning up, feeding, taking care of me for 11 years. You will forever be my family.
“But it’s time to start a new life. Patriot until I die!!! Love you all.”
Chung was regarded for his toughness, most recently playing through a torn rotator cuff during the Pats’ 2018 Super Bowl run. He played closer to the line of scrimmage than most safeties, giving up 100 pounds to blocking offensive linemen in the run game. Chung more than held his own.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick once called Chung one of the NFL’s best players, despite the fact he never made an All-Pro team or the Pro Bowl.
“He’s one of the best players in the league, one of the best players on our team,” Belichick said of Chung in January 2018. “He does a lot of things very well and has done them that way for a long time. We’re lucky we have him. He’s an outstanding player in all the things that he does. We put a lot on him, and he always comes through.”
After being miscast as a deep safety from 2009-12, Chung left to sign a one-year deal with the Eagles in free agency. He returned the following year, playing six straight seasons with the Patriots. Belichick later took the blame for Chung’s slow career start in the same press conference he called him one of the best players in football.
“I’d say a big part of it (being) mistakes that I personally made,” Belichick said. “It didn’t work out the way that we hoped it would, but we got it right the second time. I think we’ve been able to utilize him. I wish we had been able to do that when we initially got him, but it didn’t work out that way.
“Like I said, I think we finally got it right.”
Chung leaves behind a safeties room occupied by Devin McCourty, Kyle Dugger, Adrian Phillips, new free-agent addition Jalen Mills and special-teamer Cody Davis. Dugger and Phillips combined to fill Chung’s shoes last season. Mills projects to help in that area, after signing a fouryear deal this offseason. He played more than 100 snaps as a box safety and slot corner last year in Philadelphia, roles Chung played in New England for much of the past decade.