The New England Patriots will not have receiver Marqise Lee for the 2020 NFL season as he is planning to opt out — becoming the seventh Patriots player to do so.
Jim McBride of the Boston Globe broke the news on this story Saturday morning.
Marqise Lee opts out as precaution after becoming first-time father
After McBride broke the news of Lee opting out, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reached out to him. In February, he became a first-time father to a daughter, Alia, which had a lot to do with this decision.
“We just feel like it wasn’t smart for us to go out and play this year,” Lee told Reiss.
As a voluntary opt-out for the 2020 NFL season, Lee will receive a $150,000 advance on his 2021 salary. Prior to his decision, he was slated to earn a base salary of $910,000, per Spotrac.
List of Patriots players who have decided to opt out
No team in the NFL has had as many players opt out as the Patriots to this point in the proceedings. Here’s the full list of Patriots players who have opted out:
- Danny Vitale, fullback
- Najee Toran, guard
- Patrick Chung, safety
- Marcus Cannon, offensive tackle
- Dont’a Hightower, linebacker
- Brandon Bolden, running back
- Marqise Lee, wide receiver
The deadline to opt out of the 2020 season is seven days after the CBA amendments have officially been signed. That has not yet happened, so more players could still opt out before that deadline passes.