Kansas City Chiefs Sign Guard Joe Thuney
The Kansas City Chiefs have agreed to a five-year deal worth $80 million with former New England Patriots guard Joe Thuney, according to multiple reports.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Thuney's five-year, $80 million deal "includes $32.5M fully guaranteed at signing over the first two years, plus an injury guarantee that converts to full in 2022," essentially guaranteeing $48 million at signing.
Thuney's deal will come with a $4.5 million cap hit in 2021, with the details first reported by Field Yates of ESPN.
One of the first people to publicly react to the news was Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who seemed more than happy to have the two-time Super Bowl champion protecting him for years to come.
According to Albert Breer of The MMQB, Thuney's deal becomes the largest long-term contract for a guard in NFL history.
In his Seven Days of Free Agency series, Conner Christopherson of Arrowhead Report wrote about Thuney's potential market and performance over the last half-decade.
After being tagged in 2019, Joe Thuney is likely to hit free agency this year. Thuney is one of the best guards in the league and brings above-average pass- and run-blocking chops to the guard position.
Over the course of his five years in New England, Thuney started all 16 games every season, a testament to his durability at the NFL level.
Over the course of his last 2,033 pass-blocking snaps in New England, Thuney allowed three sacks and was a second-team All-Pro guard in 2019. Now he'll be coming to Kansas City to help the Chiefs rebuild an offensive line that will continue to be overhauled this offseason.
Read More: Patrick Mahomes' Contract Structure is a Blessing for the Chiefs, Curse for the Rest of the NFL
