New England Patriots: 3 stars who could call it quits following 2019 season

2. Devin McCourty

As solid as the New England Patriots secondary is, it is also getting older.

Along with Patrick Chung, safety Devin McCourty is a vocal leader in the secondary.  A solid defender on the field, McCourty is on the other side of 30 and has already contemplated retirement.

The longtime Patriots captain is entering his 10th season in the NFL and is due to cash in on the backend of multi-year contract he signed with the team.  With three Super Bowl championships on his resume, including one playing alongside his brother Jason McCourty, the Patriots may be seeing their last season with Devin on the field.

With not much else to prove in his career, McCourty’s commitment for the 2019 NFL season may end just there.  Bill Belichick and company have to certainly prepare for that possibility.  With an influx of young defensive backs, including 2019 second-round pick JoeJuan Williams, one has to wonder if one would be groomed into a safety role just as Devin McCourty was in his first few years with the team in which he converted from cornerback to safety.

While the desire to play is still there, leading a group of younger guys seems to be McCourty’s greater motivation for wearing a uniform in 2019.  Like Slater, don’t be shocked if Devin McCourty becomes a part of the staff once he retires the helmet and shoulder pads.