Patriots Have Expressed That They’d Like To Keep Thuney

Ian Logue

3 years ago at 11:54 am ET

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

It’s no secret that Joe Thuney has been an important part of the Patriots offensive line and it sounds like they haven’t given up on potentially getting him back next season.

According to SI.com’s Albert Breer, the Patriots have expressed that they’d like to keep the veteran in the fold, with the lines of communication having “reopened” between the two sides.

From Breer:

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.

The Patriots are no stranger when it comes to trying to keep important pieces in place on the offensive line, with Thuney emerging as one of the best offensive linemen in the league. He’s also been a key part of New England’s success in recent years in the ground game, and his versatility has also helped them overcome injuries during that span.

After franchising him last season, a return in 2021 appeared to be in doubt. Granted, this isn’t the first time they’ve been in this position, since even despite contentious negotiations with former players like Logan Mankins, they’ve still been able to figure things out.

While they couldn’t make it happen twice with Mankins, who was eventually traded to Tampa after things came to a head during the next round of negotiations, it doesn’t change the fact that if New England knows they have a good player up front, they’ve made the effort to keep him.

As result, it sounds like even though other teams, including the Jets, could be in competition for his services, it’s a little too early to close the book on Thuney just yet.