Patriots: 3 players who won’t be on roster after 2020 season

1. Joe Thuney

The Patriots didn’t sign Joe Thuney before the franchise tag extension deadline.

Honestly, we thought he’d be gone already. Offensive lineman Joe Thuney was slapped with the franchise tag this offseason, which will see him earn $14.78 million in 2020. We can guess the Patriots did that in hopes of signing the stud right guard to a long-term extension, but the two sides failed to come to an agreement before the July 15 deadline.

Now, the Pats are enduring the worst-case scenario here. The relationship is undoubtedly compromised in some way. It might not be significant, but it’s something. Sure, Thuney will be taken care of in a big way, but you can bet he wanted long-term security, and he’s not getting it from the Pats.

Unless there was some backdoor deal we don’t know about in which Thuney agreed to play out the year with the team before agreeing to a multi-year contract, it’s hard to envision a scenario where he doesn’t hit free agency and look to cash out with another team that values him more.

First, he was mentioned in trade rumors. Then the team said it was committed to having him sign on for well beyond the 2020 season. Now, he’s just stuck in New England for another year (unless he’s traded at some point, which is still a possibility). It’s likely not what either side wants, which is why this relationship will end at the conclusion of this season.