Report: Patriots, Chung agree to 2-year extension
The New England Patriots agreed to a two-year extension with safety Patrick Chung, according to ESPN's Field Yates.
Chung, who had two seasons left on his contract, is now signed through 2023 and is set to earn $12.8 million over the next four years, Yates adds. His signing bonus will reportedly be $3 million.
The deal will help the Patriots' salary cap situation.
The Patriots create $925k in salary-cap space with the revamped deal for safety Patrick Chung.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) May 20, 2020
While the contract is technically an extension, the added years are mostly there to provide the team cap relief.
In agreeing to the deal, Chung gets financial adjustment for 2020.
Chung considered retirement this offseason, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. He's missed four regular-season games since 2018 and underwent surgery on his broken forearm after New England's Super Bowl LIII title.
The 32-year-old joined the Patriots as a 2009 second-round pick. He had a subpar one-year stint with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013 and has played all of his other 10 pro seasons with New England.
Chung, a three-time Super Bowl champion, is one of the Patriots' most reliable defenders. The veteran defensive back amassed 51 tackles and three passes defended through 13 games last season.
Since he rejoined the Patriots in 2014, Chung has recorded at least 80 tackles in five different campaigns.