Joe Thuney Watch: Patriots Re-Open Contract Talks With Prized Guard, Want to Keep Him

Thuney watch continues with the NFL's open negotiating period set to begin

All Bengals Staff | Mar 15, 2021

CINCINNATI — Plenty of Bengals fans are hoping the team can land star guard Joe Thuney in free agency. The 28-year-old is considered the top interior offensive lineman on the market.

Thuney has spent the first five seasons of his career in New England. The Patriots are hoping to keep him according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer.

"Washington taking Brandon Scherff off the market should really help New England’s Joe Thuney," Breer noted in his MMQB column. "It seemed the Patriots were resigned to Thuney’s 2021 departure after tagging him last March—they had very minimal discussions on a long-term deal with him thereafter, and no progress had been made right up to when the Patriots agreed to deal for Trent Brown last week. But since then, the lines of communication have reopened, and the Patriots have expressed that they’d like to keep Thuney. Whether the sides can meet on a price remains to be seen."

"The Patriots have remained in contact with Joe Thuney," Jeff Howe of The Athletic Boston confirmed on Monday afternoon. "Nothing set in stone, though."

Thuney could be the first guard to receive a contract worth $15 million annually. He won two Super Bowl titles with the Patriots, so if they offer a comparable contract then there's no reason why they wouldn't be the frontrunner.

He's expected to receive interest from a plethora of teams including the Bengals, Texans, Seahawks, Vikings and Packers.

He grew up about an hour away from Cincinnati and the idea of playing in his home state could be appealing.

While Thuney is the best guard on the market, a veteran like Trai Turner could offer more value. Cincinnati already missed out on Kevin Zeitler, who agreed to a three-year deal with the Ravens on Monday morning.

Thuney is an unrestricted free agent. The Bengals and the rest of the league was allowed to start negotiations with his agent on Monday at Noon.

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