Throughout his tenure as the New England Patriots head coach and unofficial general manager, Bill Belichick was consistently praised for how he seemed to master the art of putting together some of the best rosters in the NFL. From knowing when to let go of a talented player at the right time to signing underwhelming players who eventually became superstars, the legendary coach earned every bit of his reputation over nearly 25 years.
It was one of the reasons the Patriots were able to sustain so much success for as long as they did, and a lot of that success was also credited to Tom Brady's leading the offense. The combination of the two resulted in nine Super Bowl appearances and six wins, some of which had questionable rosters.
Despite the success, however, Belichick also made head-scratching decisions about who he let walk in free agency, even if many inevitably looked genius years down the line.
One of the more memorable mistakes he made was not taking out the pocketbook to ensure left guard Joe Thuney stayed on the team in 2021.
This opened the door for him to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs on a five-year, $80 million contract. It's a decision that continues to haunt the Patriots as they still have one of the weaker offensive lines in the league, and seeing just how impressive Thuney remains during the NFL's slate of Christmas games was another reminder of just how bad it was for Belichick to let him walk.
Joe Thuney's rise as one of the best offensive linemen in the league is a painful reminder for the Patriots
Besides earning two Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods since joining the Chiefs nearly four years ago, Thuney has continued to rise in the ranks of all left guards and become a steady protector of Patrick Mahomes during their dynastic run.
He has continued to show just how valuable he is to the Chiefs offensive line by playing multiple positions. His most recent move to left tackle hits the Patriots right where it hurts, as they still have big question marks in that position this year.
It’s hard to give Thuney the exact credit he deserves for what he’s done to help stabilize the Chiefs OL recently. He’s an All Pro LG and he moved to LT … where he’s faced Myles Garrett, Danielle Hunter/Will Anderson and Highsmith in three straight games. Amazing effort https://t.co/W2EJbB1GP9
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) December 26, 2024
Thuney's impressive performance was on full display on Wednesday, as the Chiefs had virtually no problem taking down the Texans to lock up the number one seed in the AFC playoffs. HIs move to left tackle is expected to only be temporary since he is filling in for an injured teammate, but it might make their decision harder given how well he has fared in his absence.
It's an unfortunate reality for the Patriots, who never should have let Thuney leave the building without a competitive offer. Belichick made a big mistake that the team continues to pay for, and the hope is with the amount of cap space they have to spend next offseason and their projected draft positioning, they will finally be able to fill out the left side of their offensive line for Drake Maye.
It would have been a lot smoother had Thuney and others remained on the roster, especially with a guy like David Andrews out for the season, whom he helped fill in for during his time in New England.