Patriots WR Marqise Lee To Opt Out Of 2020 Season

Jim McBride reports that Patriots WR Marqise Lee is planning to opt out of the 2020 season. 

Lee explained his decision to ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

“This is a big sit-down process I had, with me and my significant other, as far as family goes. The risk factor in which we believe that’s going out there, it just wasn’t worth it in a sense. Just too many unknowns,” Lee told ESPN.com.

“We knew New England, honestly, had a great system in place. But I told Coach [Bill Belichick], at the end of the day, I wouldn’t be doing him justice going out there because I wouldn’t be able to give him my all knowing my family was back at the house worrying about their situation.”

Lee becomes the seventh Patriots’ player to decide to sit out the season. 

Lee, 28, is a former second-round pick of the Jaguars back in 2014. He played out the final year of his four-year, $5,174,016 contract before agreeing to a four-year, $38 million contract with $18 million guaranteed. 

Unfortunately, Lee suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2018 and spent the season on injured reserve. Jacksonville placed him on the PUP list to start training camp before activating him in August. 

However, Lee once again finished the year on injured reserve after a shoulder injury. The Jaguars released him back in April and he later signed a one-year deal with the Patriots. 

In 2019, Lee appeared in six games for the Jaguars and caught three passes for 18 yards.