You just hate to see this.

Another New England Patriot has decided not to play this upcoming football season:

Schefter reported a short time later that running back Brandon Bolden is also opting out of the 2020 season, making him the fifth Patriot to take a flyer. Linemen Marcus Cannon and Najee Toran had already opted out, along with fullback Danny Vitale.

Hightower is a big loss for the Patriots, especially after linebackers Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins took off in free agency. He’s their signal caller and a two-time Pro Bowler. Bolden is a veteran special teamer and offensive depth piece at this point in his career while Cannon you might recall beat non-Hodgkins’ lymphoma and is now the starting right tackle.

These opt outs bring the total number of NFL players skipping the season to 10. Half of those players are Patriots, but knowing Bill Belichick, he’ll plug in some 5th round draft pick nobody has ever heard of and they’ll find a way to win 10 games anyway.