There has been a ton of speculation leading up to Thursday’s draft, and the New England Patriots are certainly in the mix of all the rumors. Guard Joe Thuney has been rumored to be heading to a new home during this draft. However, ESPN analyst Adam Schefter is not convinced that is going to happen
New England recently signed Thuney to a $14.5 million franchise tag and the organization has him for one more year. Even still, there has been speculation that they will get rid of him in order to acquire more draft capital. As the first round gets closer, the rumors have picked up. For instance, there was a report on Wednesday that the Miami Dolphins were considering trading for the guard. Certainly, there are several options in play.
Schefter appeared on the Greg Hill Show Thursday, and explained why he doesn’t see a trade as a viable possibility.
“I don’t see that. I’m not sure where that is coming from,” he said. “First of all, when you’re dealing a player like that, I know he’s signed, but he has to take a physical, teams are going to have to have a big contract extension with him. We are not in a time in our country where I think teams, many teams, are all that enthralled with giving out big money extensions. There is a lot of uncertainty involving football.
“…So, if you are trading for Joe Thuney, not only are you not giving him a physical, now you have to negotiate a contract, and even though he is a really good young player, I am just telling you, owners, some owners are being very, very careful right now, as they should. We have no idea if there is going to be a full schedule, a shortened schedule, fans, no fans, what form the sport will take. There’s a lot of questions that offer a lot of uncertainty.”
Thuney has made a tremendous impact since entering the league in 2016. He has started in all 64 games he has played in to this point, and was named a Second-Team All-Pro in 2019. He also made the PFWA All-Rookie Team in 2016 for his efforts.
The Patriots have many draft picks to retool the organization, beginning on Thursday. It will be interesting to see how they address each pick, and what holes they fill, particularly on the offensive side of the football.
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