Report: Devin McCourty Intends To Play In 2022
BOSTON (CBS) -- Going as far back as Super Bowl LIII in February of 2019, retirement has been a public consideration for Devin McCourty. With the longtime Patriots captain playing the final year of his deal last season, it's fair to wonder if the 34-year-old might have played his final season in the NFL.
But that's apparently not going to happen.
NBC Sports Boston's Tom E. Curran reported this week that McCourty is "currently training with the intention of playing in 2022."
What's not known is where he intends to play. He's only played for Bill Belichick in New England, after getting drafted with the 27th overall pick in the 2010 draft. He's been remarkably durable, playing in 188 of a possible 193 regular-season games while also starting all 24 Patriots playoff games since 2010, winning three Super Bowls and playing in two more.
At 34 years old last season, he hit double-digits in pass defenses for the first time since 2012, while also picking off three passes and making 60 tackles.
The Patriots have let McCourty hit free agency twice before, re-signing him both times -- in 2015 and in 2020. Given that he's been a team captain every year since 2011, and given that he's already carrying a $6.45 million cap charge for the 2022 season (according to Over The Cap), a re-up with McCourty would not be the least bit surprising.
Still, as it stands now, he's set to hit the market in a couple of weeks.