Joe Thuney says goodbye to Patriots in emotional Instagram post
The New England Patriots have blitzed the offseason and have pretty much left every other team in the dust at the onset of free agency.
Though they beefed up their offensive line beyond belief, they lost one of their best players over the last five years in Joe Thuney after he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs on a five-year, $80 million contract.
Bill Belichick undoubtedly loved his Swiss Army knife offensive lineman, but the Patriots had so many needs that they couldn’t possibly afford that big of a contract for a single player.
Just look at all the somewhat micro deals they’ve made so far.
The new league year began on Wednesday and Thuney’s deal with the Chiefs became official.
On Friday, he said goodbye to Pats Nation.
Every Patriots fan knows Thuney gave it his all for the team over the last half-decade. He didn’t miss a single game, played all along the offensive line whenever the team needed a vacancy to be filled, and was a member of two Super Bowl teams (he started a total of 10 playoff games from 2016-2019).
There was never doubting his commitment, and fans all over New England should be happy that he secured the bag elsewhere. It’s a win-win for both parties. Thuney gets the money he deserves while Belichick did his financial gymnastics to put together a formidable offensive line.
As one Patriots offensive lineman (@dandrews61) creatively shares that he is sticking around, another (@JosephThuney) reflects on the end of his 5-year run in New England. pic.twitter.com/rZVQTBFJcM
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) March 19, 2021
The only downside? The (hopefully) resurgent Patriots may run into the Chiefs when the playoffs arrive and could go face-to-face with Thuney. But such is life in the NFL.
The official end to this chapter makes Thuney’s end-of-season photo feel like an even bigger gut punch. He was seen sitting in the middle of the field on the Patriots’ logo shortly after the team finished 7-9 and knew they wouldn’t be headed to the playoffs. He knew this day was coming, even though the team had among the most cap space in the league this offseason.
So long to a stalwart, who will now be tasked with protecting the best quarterback in the game.
