Longtime Patriots Safety Patrick Chung Signed a Two-Year Extension to Remain In New England

Not that anyone has really noticed besides your grandfather but the 2020 MLB regular season has yet to start while the 2019-20 NBA and NHL regular seasons have been paused now for more than two months while we all deal with this endless nightmare called Covid-19 aka the 'Rona. Since they have more time to plan and see what the world looks like this fall, I have the most faith (along with the stubborn meathead nature of Roger Goodell) that there will be some form of the NFL in 2020-most likely without fans. That's why talking about NFL news and moves seems most relevant these days versus the other leagues that all still seem very far away from getting back on their respective fields, courts and rinks for any games that actually count.

With that said, the Patriots might be in rebuild mode but at least whenever they fully return to work, we can be confident that they possess one of the best safety groups in the entire NFL. Today they signed veteran Patrick Chung to a two-year extension (through 2023) which means that the 32-year-old is basically guaranteed to end his productive career where it all started: in Foxborough. With their top pick (2nd round, 37th overall after they traded away their 1st round pick) from last month's NFL Draft Kyle Dugger (a safety from Division 2 Lenoir-Rhyne) unsigned, the Chung move allowed the Pats to free up $925,000 in cap space. Keep in mind that their best safety-captain Devin McCourty-also signed an extension earlier during the pandemic which truthfully feels like it happened about three years ago.

It's hard to believe but this will be Chung's 12th season in the NFL so anytime a non-kicker, punter or backup QB reaches double-digit years in the league, you know that the clock is really starting to wind down. For being a solid player, he received a $3 million signing bonus which added to his $1.1 million salary for 2020 makes for a nice payday. By nature, NFL contracts (particularly for the detail-oriented Patriots) are always very tough to comprehend if you're not a lawyer, player agent or Bill Belichick. The former Oregon Duck can also earn up to $800,000 in per-game roster bonuses and a $100,000 workout bonus. Should Chung choose to play beyond this season, 2021-2023 would have the identical setup money-wise: base salary of $1.9 million, up to $400,000 per-game roster bonuses, $200,000 in incentives and a $100,000 workout bonus.

For many reasons both on the field and off the field, Chung has had a unique journey with the Patriots. He was drafted in the 2nd round (34th overall) in 2009 and had an up-and-down first four seasons for the Pats, probably because he missed a bunch of games with injuries (playing only 8 games in 2011 and 12 games the next year). From there, he went to the Eagles for one mostly nondescript season in 2013 (39 solo tackles, 20 assisted tackles & 1 fumble recovery in 12 games) before surprisingly returning to New England where he's been tough, dependable and consistent in his second go-around. In the last six seasons here, he's only missed five total regular season games which is a rather incredible change from his early days.

He's never been (and will never be) a Pro Bowler but he is on the next tier of quality players that every good football team needs to have in droves to compliment its stars. Chung is not big in stature (5-foot-11, 215 pounds) by the NFL's superhuman standards but he's athletic enough to be able to cover tight ends and be close to the line of scrimmage to help defend wide receivers and running backs in the short passing game. He has appeared in three Super Bowls with the Patriots and is a two-time champion.

Last summer ironically might have been his most notable headline as a Patriot when he got busted with a mountain of cocaine in his lake house in New Hampshire. Somehow, someway that was mostly swept under the rug (pun totally intended) and he never went to jail nor has been suspended by the league for it. I just think that's notable in terms of ways that Chung wants to celebrate this deal under quarantine. Granted, I'm not advocating for it but couldn't we all use a little booger sugar right now to get away from our troubles for a bit? Haha just kidding, stay in school (remember those?) kids!

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In the Biggest Layup During the Pandemic, the B's Signed Jaroslav Halak to a 1-Year Extension

You'll have to excuse the delay on this post since the Bruins decided to randomly drop this sneaky important news last night (what nerve on a Friday during the pandemic!) and I was too busy binge-watching "Waco" on Netflix to notice until it was way past my bedtime. Your bet is as good as mine if the NHL will be able to continue the 2019-20 regular season and postseason or if it will eventually be scrapped because of the Coronavirus. Nevertheless, Boston's GM Don Sweeney took care of some summer free agency housekeeping a few months early by signing "backup" goaltender Jaroslav Halak to a one-year contract extension worth $2.25 million.

Even before this nightmare that's lasted over 50 days now began, I was never someone that got hung up on the salaries of pro athletes. After all, you or I aren't footing the bill so who cares? They have also worked most of their lives to reach the highest level of their chosen sport so good for them. The unemployment rate is through the roof these days in the United States so it sounds silly to call $2.25 million a bargain but the truth is that for a goaltender the caliber of Halak it is a steal. Even if you aren't a B's fan, it would be tough to argue that their goaltender tandem of Tuukka Rask (26-8-6, 2.12 goals against average, .929 save percentage and 5 shutouts this season) and Halak (18-6-6, 2.39 goals against average, .919 save percentage and 3 shutouts this season) isn't one of the best in the entire league if not the top one.

Rask was the favorite for the Vezina Trophy during this incredible campaign and as we saw last season, finally having a quality goalie beside him like Halak was one of the main reasons that Boston was able to reach the Stanley Cup Final vs. St. Louis. As Claude Julien never seemed to figure out during his long tenure behind the Bruins' bench, Rask is not physically or mentally built for the grind of 65+ starts every season (who is?) and he would inevitably fall apart every season right before or during the playoffs. What great timing! Sweeney finally realized this and did his part by signing Halak back on July 1, 2018 as free agency opened. At 34 years old, Halak is actually a year older than Rask and he's been around the league forever (drafted in 2003 by Montreal and debuting with the Canadiens in the 2006-07 season).

Since this is Halak's fifth NHL club (Habs, Blues, Capitals, Islanders and Bruins), you want to label him a journeyman but that's not really the case. His career win-loss record is more than 100 games over .500 (272-167-58) and he even made the 2015 NHL All-Star Game with the Isles. Not bad for a ninth-round pick from Czechoslovakia. He also keeps himself in phenomenal shape which enables him to play nearly a 50/50 time share with Rask (37 starts last season and 29 this season). While Rask ended up playing every game in the playoffs in Boston's run to the Final last season, don't think that having a dependable veteran like Halak with him wasn't also an underrated significant factor. For once in his Bruins career as the No. 1 goaltender, Rask has a teammate that is nearly his equal therefore he doesn't have to shoulder such an unrealistic workload.

This extension is also insurance in case Rask gets hurt or his play dips (which happens to every goalie from time to time). Like pitching in baseball, you can never have enough good goaltending on your team and while Boston has some decent prospects coming up (most notably University of Maine's Jeremy Swayman who they recently signed to a pro deal), it's best to go with the known commodity at the moment. Any way that you look at it, Halak is probably the best backup goaltender in the NHL and that is something that is priceless for a Cup contender like the Black and Gold. Now let's please find a feasible way for the Bruins to get back on the ice in the near future since they had a really good chance to go far once again in the playoffs.

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