Patriots, Joe Thuney Don't Reach Long-Term Deal Before Wednesday's Deadline
BOSTON (CBS) -- Wednesday's 4 p.m. deadline day for Joe Thuney and the New England Patriots to reach a long term deal came and went with no agreement. The left guard will now play the 2020 season on a one-year deal, and make a pretty penny in the process.
Thuney, who was hit with the franchise tag in March, will make $14.78 million in 2020 and become a free agent after the season.
Thuney's nearly $15-million cap hit for one player is pretty un-Patriot-like, but he is worth it for the franchise. A third-round pick in 2016, Thuney has started all 16 games in each of his four NFL seasons. He owns the distinction of being the only player in NFL history to start in the Super Bowl in each of his first three seasons.
Working out a long-term deal would have been a lot more important for the Patriots before last weekend, but the team received a nice boost in cap space after settling grievances with Antonio Brown and the late Aaron Hernandez. New England has roughly $8 million in cap space now, making it much easier to handle Thuney's big cap hit.