A Patriots rookie is retiring a month after the draft, giving up a $3.4 million contract before playing a single snap

• New England Patriots rookie Dustin Woodard is walking away from the gridiron before playing a single snap in the NFL.
• Before he was Bill Belichick's seventh-round pick, Woodard enjoyed a standout career in his four years as an offensive lineman for the Memphis Tigers.
• Woodard stood to make over $700,000 this season and $3.4 million over the next four years.

Bill Belichick has lost yet another weapon from his arsenal for the upcoming NFL season.

New England Patriots rookie Dustin Woodard has decided to walk away from the gridiron. According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, who first reported the news, the offensive lineman's choice to move on from football is unrelated to the COVID-19 crisis.

Belichick selected Woodard — a four-year starter for the Memphis Tigers — with his seventh-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-2, 290-pound offensive lineman spent his first three seasons playing guard under head coach Mike Norvell. After his junior season, Woodard native was the top-ranked guard in the conference.

But along with Memphis' head coaching change, the Chandler, Arizona, native was tasked with shifting to center in his final year of eligibility for the Tigers. Even in his first full year in a new position, Woodard enjoyed a standout season and quickly became one of the highest-rated centers in college football.

Woodard stood to make more than $700,000 in his first year with the new-look Patriots. He gives up $3.4 million over the next four years by stepping away from the game before playing a single snap in the NFL.

The offensive lineman is just the latest in a series of blows to Belichick's roster for the upcoming season. According to CBS Sports, eight of New England's players — Brandon Bolden, Marcus Cannon, Patrick Chung, Dont'a Hightower, Matt LaCosse, Marqise Lee, Najee Toran, and Danny Vitale — opted out of joining the team for the year prior to the NFL's deadline.

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