The general view of the Patriots shifted from pretender to contender following the team’s addition of Cam Newton.
But seemingly in the blink of an eye, New England’s prospects in the 2020 NFL season have dropped back down several pegs.
From Monday afternoon to Tuesday morning, the Patriots saw six players opt out of the upcoming campaign, including longtime starters Marcus Cannon, Dont’a Hightower and Patrick Chung. With players having until Monday to make a decision on their 2020 status, there’s a chance the Patriots’ list of opt-outs could grow in the coming days.
As the Patriots’ opt-out reports began to file in, a theory surrounding New England birthed earlier in the offseason resurfaced. Many now are under the impression the Patriots’ plan is to tank the 2020 season in hopes of landing Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence in next year’s draft. But former wideout Donte Stallworth, who played the 2007 season in Foxboro, thinks anyone who believes that is underestimating Bill Belichick’s competitiveness.
I am enjoying all the Bill Belichick and Trevor Lawrence tweets, they are truly hilarious. But if anyone thinks BB is gonna tank whatever season there is in 2020 for *any* reason, you have lost your mind. That dude would coach through the apocalypse
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) July 28, 2020
😂😂😂 https://t.co/elg51SkoCP
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) July 28, 2020
As good as Lawrence projects to be at the NFL level, we can’t imagine Belichick would even consider laying down over the course of the upcoming campaign. The Patriots long have embraced the “next man up” mentality, and they’ll likely continue to do so in what is shaping up to be a truly unconventional 2020 season.
