The deadline for players to opt out of the 2020 NFL season passed Thursday afternoon, with more than 60 around the league choosing to sit the year out. And no team saw more players exercise the collectively-bargain option than eight in New England.
Detroit Lions linebacker Jamie Collins, a free-agent addition who spent the better part of five years playing for the Patriots, could easily have followed suit. At 30 years old, and a young son at home, Collins already has earned both millions of dollars and a Super Bowl ring during his seven-year career.