One day after officially signing with the Kansas City Chiefs, guard Joe Thuney penned a farewell letter to the New England Patriots.
In a note posted on his Instagram account Friday morning, Thuney thanked his Patriots coaches, teammates and fans as he prepares to join a new franchise for the first time in his NFL career.
“The past few weeks have been a whirlwind and I wanted to take time to reflect on the past 5 years,” Thuney wrote. “I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been part of such a top class organization like the Patriots. I cannot say thank you enough to the Kraft family, Coach (Bill) Belichick, Scar (Dante Scarneccia), all the coaches and support staff throughout the organization, the fans of New England, and especially my teammates.
“I gave everything I had for the team and I just wanted to be out there on that field fighting for the men beside me week in and week out. New England will forever hold a special place in my heart and I will always be a Patriot. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d experience the past 5 years, but I am eternally grateful. All good things must come to an end, and the journey continues. Thank you New England.”
A Day 1 starter after arriving in New England as a 2016 third-round draft pick, Thuney started every game for the Patriots over the last five seasons, primarily at left guard. He won two Super Bowls, played in another and established himself as one of the NFL’s premier players at his position.
Losing Thuney is a blow for the Patriots, but with offensive tackle Trent Brown arriving via trade and center David Andrews surprisingly re-signing Thursday night, they should field one of the league’s top O-lines even without him.
Thuney’s Chiefs contract reportedly is a five-year, $80 million deal.
