Steven Senne/Associated Press
Patrick Chung is opting out of the 2020 season over COVID-19 concerns, but he's pushing back on any chatter of the New England Patriots colluding to tank for draft position.
Chung is one of six Patriots to opt out of the 2020 season, joining linebacker Dont'a Hightower, running back Brandon Bolden, offensive tackle Marcus Cannon, fullback Danny Vitale and offensive lineman Najee Toran.
An NFL executive told ESPN's Adam Schefter he believes Bill Belichick is "masterminding" all of the opt-outs by the Patriots.
The likely paranoid executive is probably worried about the Patriots dropping to the bottom of the standings for 2020, thus giving them a shot at landing Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields and moving to a new quarterback era to replace Tom Brady over the long term.