FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - New England Patriots safety Patrick Chung recently announced his retirement, ending an 11-year NFL career, including 10 seasons with the Patriots.
"For more than a decade, Patrick Chung was a versatile and valuable contributor to our team and in our community," said Patriots chairman and CEO Robert Kraft. "I remember when I first met him in 2009 on the day we introduced him to the media. We talked about his love of his family and his passion for football. He had a great smile, a big personality and a relentless work ethic, which earned the respect and affection of his coaches and teammates, as well as Patriots fans everywhere. Twelve years later, Patrick retires as three-time Super Bowl Champion to spend more time with his family and pursue new passions in his life. We will be eager to welcome him back for the many alumni events and championship celebrations we will host in the future."
Chung, 33, played a key role in three Super Bowl victories for the Patriots and is the only player in NFL history to appear in the playoffs in each of his first 11 seasons. He is one of eight NFL players to start at least five Super Bowls. Chung was also selected to the Patriots 2010s All-Decade team at safety.
"Patrick Chung is a special person and player, one of the pillars of our program and truly in the upper echelon of the many greats I have had the privilege to coach," said head coach Bill Belichick. "It all stems from his passion for the game and tone-setting, team-first attitude. Pat's combination of toughness, intelligence and versatility was exceptional and it enabled him to perform more roles than most any player I have ever seen. In any setting, whether in the locker room, in meetings, on the practice field, during games and in the biggest moments, Pat was everything a coach could want. It is no accident that his teams competed for championships virtually every year of his Patriots career. I applaud him for a remarkable career and am grateful for all he did for me and our organization."
Presenting some of our favorite photos of Patriots safety Patrick Chung, who recently announced his retirement after an 11-year NFL career.
Chung was originally drafted by New England in the second round (34th overall) in the 2009 NFL Draft out of Oregon. The 5-foot-11, 215-pounder, signed with Philadelphia for the 2013 season before re-joining the Patriots in the spring of 2014. Chung exercised his Reserve/Opt-Out decision and did not play in the 2020 season.
He played in 153 regular season games with 122 starts and finished with 759 total tackles, 4 1/2 sacks, 11 interceptions with one returned for a touchdown, 57 passes defensed, one forced fumble, five fumble recoveries and 42 special teams tackles. Chung also played in 23 postseason games with 20 starts and added 93 total tackles, four passes defensed, one fumble recovery and eight special teams tackles.
In a 2010 game at Miami, Chung blocked a punt a field goal and returned an interception for a touchdown.
