In April, after the Patriots to select a quarterback in the

In April, after the Patriots to select a quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft and well before they to a one-year deal, we addre sed the ridiculous-yet-technically-not-impo sible scenario that was New England Clemson star Trevor Lawrence in 2021.Now it's time to addre s another wild Patriots theory,that coach and quasi-general manager Bill Belichick somehow is behind so many New England players opting out of the 2020 season amid the Logan Forsythe Jersey COVID-19 pandemic.MORE: As of Tuesday morning, including notable names like Dont'a Hightower, Marcus Cannon,Brandon Bolden and Patrick Chung had decided not to play the 2020 season under the opt-out terms established Friday by the NFL and the NFL Players A sociation. That was by far the most from one team in the NFL, leading at least one NFL executive to raise an eyebrow.ESPN's Adam Schefter shared on Twitter the details of a text-me sage conversation he had with theunnamed NFL exec. The person apparently thinks Belichick is "masterminding" New England's flood of opt-outs. Pre sed to explain why Belichick would do such a thing, the exec responded,I dont know! Thats why he is who he is!"Actual text Corey Seager Jersey exchange with an NFL executive today after a sixth Patriot opted out:Him: You know Bill is masterminding all of this Kenta Maeda Jersey somehow.Me: For what reason?Him: I dont know! Thats why he is who he is! Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) Alright. Let's pretend for a second this anonymous exec is on to something, and that Belichick somehow is convincing his players to opt out as part of some elaborate scheme to improve New England's salary cap situation and/or draft position.I'll say this: The Patriots suddenly have a lot more cap space to carry over into a 2021 cap-reduced year than they had yesterday. Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) Actually, never mind. Let's not. Because it's a bit much to suggest even the NFL's would Kirk Gibson Jersey leverage a deadlypandemic in a long-gameeffort to potentially pad a resume that to many already makes him the greatest football coach of all time.That status is relevant, because it's the reason many aren't ready to write off the Patriots in 2020 even though they lost Tom Brady in free agency and are down a handful of defensive 2019 starters, now including those opting out for the 2020 season.NFL COACH RANKINGS:In order for New England to land Lawrence, for example, it likely would need to finish the 2020 season with the NFL's worst record. That's not going to happen, because theNewton acquisition alone suggests Belichickis not down with the idea of tanking.And as long as Belichick is trying to win, even in a seasonthat might be his most challenging in 21 years with the Patriots,he will win plenty.The opt-outlo ses ofChung, Hightower, Bolden, Cannon, Danny Vitale and MLB Los Angeles Dodgers Najee Toran, though they come with ,don't change that.Writes SN's Vinnie Iyer: For most teams, losingkey starters so close to the season would cause major scrambling and concern. The Patriots are better prepared than most teams, however, because of their constant search for specific role players who can 'do their job.'"