Shocked that the Patriots extended Chung

The Patriots at the hands of Bill Belicheck have often moved on from popular and reliable players more times than I can count with even Tom Brady the biggest name of them all now wearing a different jersey. The Patriots have famously unceremoniously released or traded former stalwarts on the team without warning to the fans or the player. One of the more well known instances was the time the Pat's decided to play hardball with safety Lawyer Milloy. Milloy was hit with an ultimatum 5 days before opening day of the regular season; take a pay cut or be cut. He chose the latter, signed with Buffalo and quickly turned around and helped shut out his former team 5 days later. So I find it incredibly curious that they decided to extend Patrick Chung for 2 years, in turn receiving just under $1,000,000 in cap relief. 

Why do I question this move? There are several factors that come together when the Patriots decide to move on. Signs of decline, age, off field distractions and pay. Patrick Chung in my eyes has displayed 3 of the 4 the past few years. Let me explain. Heading into 2020 Chung is going into his 12th NFL season, and he will turn 33 just before the season. He is not your average strong safety either, the majority of his career he has been used as a hybrid LB playing closer to the line of scrimmage and taking a lot more punishment than your average DB. 

Despite his age, He has been relatively healthy missing just 23 games in 11 seasons so far but 2019 was a down year for him statistically. Chung was been fairly consistent hovering around 80 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception and 3-7 pass deflections until last year. Despite missing just three games he produced only 41 tackles, .5 sacks, and 3 pass deflections. When your statistics suddenly get cut virtually in half from one season to the next and there is only a 2 game discrepancy in playing time it raises some large questions. I don't claim to be a scout and it is within the realm of possibility that Chung had reasons that were not due to his own play for the dropoff, maybe it was scheme, or maybe it was simply the way teams game planned against them in 2019. Whatever the case Chung is now going to be 33 years old coming off a down year on a Patriots roster that has younger and cheaper options available. 

If these factors were my only two reasons for being confused by this extension I wouldn't be here writing this, no in fact it's my third factor which really makes it surprising Chung is still on the roster regardless of age, or declining play. In 2019 Chung was cited for cocaine possession, a crime that he has yet to serve a suspension for. The concerning thing is not that he possessed the cocaine. It's that this seemingly popped up out of nowhere, a blip on the radar after 10 years in the NFL and 4 years in college? Seems odd to me, is it really an isolated incident or is this something he has been able to hide for years because of the way NFL drug tests are structured, and the way cocaine will leave your body. Reading a bit on the subject cocaine stays in your body in amounts high enough to trigger a urine sample for just 3 days, potentially less depending on factors like weight, fitness regimen etc. things that would sway the passage of the drug to a minimal time. I tend to lean toward this guy having a history of use without being caught. It just seems as if you don't really pick up a habit like this in your early 30's with a multimillion dollar salary on the line. 

The fourth and final factor is his pay. Chung is one of the players the Patriots have relied on when it comes to finding cap relief. He quite literally has signed contract extensions in 6 of the last 7 seasons in an effort to continuously push the cap hit out further and further. While this only adds to his value on the roster, it also shows he makes enough money that he is part of the lack of cap space in the first place. He makes on average $7 million a year second highest in terms of safeties on the team. On top of that New England is spending $3 million a year on a similar player in Adrian Phillip's who will act as their 3rd safety this year, and spent a second round pick on arguably a more athletic prototype for the role Chung plays in Kyle Duggar. Duggar might play safety but has the body of a linebacker which makes him a direct replacement for Chung. This is not even considering that the Patriots also employ veterans Cody Davis, and Terrence Brooks who can take snaps at safety as well if Chung were gone and the Patriots weren't ready to rely on Duggar. The more I look at the way their roster is structured the more I am surprised Chung wasn't already released especially being the obvious lack of a viable starting veteran qb due to cap restraints. 

I guess the one thing you can never discount is a coaches appreciation for a certain player. I believe Bill Belicheck became an early fan of Chung when he held the defensive coordinator duties in Chung's second season his first as a full time starter. Chung took hold of the starting job and went on to have two of the biggest games of his career to open the season. In week 1 of 2010 Chung racked up 16 tackles, not to peak too early Chung went on to one of the most dominant performances you will ever see from a DB in week 4. He totalled 5 tackles, 1 int for 51 yards and 1 td, blocked a field goal AND a punt all in one game. That will win a coach's heart really quick, and show them the kind of weapon you can be. However I do believe the end is near for Chung in New England, Duggar is simply too good of a prospect for the GOAT to keep on the sideline for long.