Patriots FB Danny Vitale & G Najee Toran Opting Out Of 2020 Season

Leigh Steinberg, the agent for Patriots FB Danny Vitale, tells Jarrett Bell of USA Today that his client is opting out of the 2020 season.

Vitale and his wife, Caley, are parents to a newborn baby, which played into his decision to opt-out. 

Jim McBride reports that Patriots guard Najee Toran also has opted out of the season.

You can expect the Patriots to place them on the reserve list in the coming days, which will create two roster spots.

The Patriots will go into training camp with Jakob Johnson as the only fullback on their roster. Although, third-round TE Dalton Keene could also see some time at fullback. 

Vitale, 26, is a former sixth-round pick of the Buccaneers back in 2016. He was waived a few months later and claimed by the Bills.

However, Vitale failed a physical for the Bills and was cut loose a day later. He returned to Tampa Bay for another brief stint with the Buccaneers before the Browns signed him to their active roster during the 2016 season.

Cleveland brought Vitale back on an exclusive rights contract in 2018 but he was waived with an injury designation coming out of the preseason and later cut with an injury settlement. Vitale caught on with the Packers practice squad and later signed to their active roster. 

The Patriots signed Vitale to a contract back in March. 

In 2019, Vitale appeared in 15 games for the Packers and rushed once for three yards while catching seven passes for 97 yards receiving and no touchdowns. Pro Football Focus rated Vitale as the No. 10 fullback out of 10 qualifying players.