The New England Patriots had until Wednesday afternoon 4 to reach a long-term extension with starting left guard Joe Thuney to prevent him from playing the 2020 season on the franchise tag. However, the two sides failed to agree, meaning Thuney will now be on the team’s books with a salary cap of $ 14.78 million, the second highest behind cornerback Stephon Gilmore, in a one-year contract.
The question, of course, now becomes this: What comes next for the Patriots and Thuney? Let’s take a look at the two individually to find out.
Where do the Patriots go from here?
With Thuney not yet signing a long-term deal, the Patriots will have significant capital invested in their offensive line this year: starting left guard will receive $ 14.78 million, while right tackle Marcus Cannon and right guard Shaq Mason will be on the team books with cap numbers of $ 9.6 million and $ 8.7 million; Center David Andrews and left tackle Isaiah Wynn, meanwhile, are relatively cheap and will count $ 3.4 million and $ 3.1 million against the New England books.
While the team might try to make some adjustments, Cannon’s contract appears to be the safest of the five bets, he is still in a solid financial position at the moment after earning a $ 6.55 million salary credit over the weekend. as a result of the pending grievances settlement Therefore, the Patriots have no immediate pressure to make any moves, even without Thuney having signed a long-term contract that could have reduced his limit number this year.
Where does Joe Thuney go from here?
Thuney will play the 2020 season on the franchise tag, and will therefore make a significant leap in terms of revenue: thus far during his four-year career, he has earned $ 4.49 million in contract value. Now, the 27-year-old will add the aforementioned $ 14.78 million to this total, while remaining in a position to collect even more next year. Thuney, after all, is slated to enter unrestricted free agency next offseason. You might get the label again, of course, but this course of action seems unlikely.
Looking at next season, Thuney will try to do two things from an individual perspective: 1.) Continue his development into one of the league’s elite offensive interior linemen after being voted the All-Pro second team last year. ; 2.) Make the season healthy. However, none of those things are expected to be a problem for him, at least when he goes to his career so far. Thuney has improved each year as he begins all 74 games since arriving in New England in the third round of the 2016 draft.
Where does the Patriots-Thuney union go from here?
With the franchise tag deadline coming and going without any movement, the two sides will now have to wait until January 4 to meet again at the negotiating tables. Under the NFL-NFLPA collective bargaining agreement, franchised players cannot sign contract extensions until after their team’s last regular season game. For the Patriots this year, that game will be played on January 3 against the New York Jets. The next day, Thuney could theoretically sign a new agreement.
With that said, you probably have little incentive to do so, considering you’re set to become a free agent just three months later. Similarly, the Patriots may want to play the safe situation with an unclear salary cap situation looming on the horizon. Therefore, taking a year-over-year approach could be the best course of action for both sides right now, and one that explains today’s lack of news.
