Patrick Chung’s retirement is official.
The longtime New England Patriots safety announced in May he was calling it a career, but the team moved him to the retired/reserve list Friday in a move that largely is a formality.
ESPN’s Field Yates shared the news to Twitter.
While it’s been on the offseason to-do list since Chung’s announcement, putting the decision on paper Friday means the team will add $891,765 in cap space for a total of $13,112,279, according to Patriots salary cap expert Miguel Benzan.
Chung opted out of the 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but was a go-to at safety throughout his 10 seasons in New England, winning three Super Bowl championships.
In order to fill Chung’s spot on the Patriots’ 90-man roster, the team announced the signing of tight end David Wells. The 26-year-old (who is 6-foot-6 and 255 pounds) was with the Patriots practice squad for six days last season and has yet to play in a NFL game.
A San Diego State product, he signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2018 as a rookie free agent but was cut after training camp. He joined the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad that season and started 2019 with them, but was moved to injured reserve after training camp.
In the meantime, the Patriots have plenty of options at safety, with Adrian Phillips, Devin McCourty, Kyle Dugger, Jalen Mills and four others listed on the depth chart at the position.
