Perhaps Joe Thuney will return to the Patriots after all.
New England's reported acquisition of Trent Brown, as well as its refusal to franchise tag Thuney for a second consecutive year, seemingly wrote the writing on the wall: the star left guard will move on this offseason. And, considering the contract Thuney likely will fetch on the free agent market, most signs still point toward a departure. Sunday's reported trading of Marcus Cannon doesn't change that, though David Andrews' potential exit would.
Anyway, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer on Monday slightly opened the door for a reunion between Thuney and the Patriots.
Check out this excerpt from his Monday Morning Quarterback column:
Likewise, Washington taking Brandon Scherff off the market should really help New England’s Joe Thuney. It seemed the Patriots were resigned to Thuney’s 2021 departure after tagging him last March—they had very minimal discussions on a long-term deal with him thereafter, and no progress had been made right up to when the Patriots agreed to deal for Trent Brown last week. But since then, the lines of communication have reopened, and the Patriots have expressed that they’d like to keep Thuney. Whether the sides can meet on a price remains to be seen.
Again, it still is difficult to envision the Patriots paying the price necessary to re-sign Thuney, especially if Andrews stays. New England would have starters Brown, Andrews, Isaiah Wynn, Shaq Mason and Michael Onwenu on the roster.
(There's been some chatter about a deal involving Wynn, but nothing in the way of a legitimate rumor or report.)
Nevertheless, New England's reported interest in keeping Thuney does create some interesting questions. Hopefully we'll get some answers when NFL free agency begins Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET.
