Report: Eric Berry Intentionally Skipped 2019 Season, Intends to Return in 2020

Former Chiefs veteran safety Eric Berry reportedly skipped the 2019 season to take a year off, but he plans to return to the NFL in 2020.

After former Chiefs safety Eric Berry missed the 2019 season, he intends to return to the NFL in 2020, according to the NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. 

Garafolo reports that Berry, 31, intentionally sat out this season but isn't calling it quits for his career just yet.

"He actually did have opportunities to play in the league this past year," Garafolo said on Good Morning Football. "He took a sabbatical. He wanted to make sure he could get himself right mentally and physically."

From @gmfb: Former #Chiefs S Eric Berry‘s absence from the #NFL this past season was intentional. He plans to return in 2020. pic.twitter.com/Xd32c8p7fJ

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 25, 2020

The Chiefs released Berry in March 2019 after nine seasons with the team. Kansas City drafted him with the No. 5 pick in the 2010. During that span, Berry played in 89 games and earned five trips to the Pro Bowl.

Following the 2015 season, Berry was named the AP Comeback Player of the Year Award and received the Ed Block Courage Award after overcoming Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Before the Redskins signed safety Landon Collins, Berry was the league's top-paid safety, averaging $13 million per season on a six-year contract he signed in 2017. The Chiefs would have owed Berry $7.25 million if he had been kept on the roster for two more days.