Joe Thuney Signs Patriots' Franchise Tag; Contract Is Fully Guaranteed

Guard Joe Thuney officially signed a contract Thursday after the New England Patriots used the franchise tag on him Monday.

Mike McCartney, Thuney's agent, confirmed the signing, noting the deal is fully guaranteed.

Thuney, 27, is coming off a career-best 2019 in which he earned second-team All-Pro honors. The franchise-tag value for offensive linemen is expected to be between $14.7 million and $15.0 million, per CBS Sports' Joel Corry. 

Over the last two seasons, the team's 2016 third-round pick has allowed just one sack (zero in 2018, one in 2019), per Pro Football Focus. The Patriots' decision to franchise him takes one of the most coveted potential free agents off the market.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has praised Thuney's versatility on the line. While the 6'5", 308-pounder has primarily played the left guard spot, he's also been able to move around the line. The Patriots even tried him at left tackle, where he played some at NC State, for a spell last offseason.

Belichick told reporters in September:

"Somebody has to have versatility on that group. If you take seven linemen to the game, you can't have a backup for every position, so somebody has to move. Either one of your starters has to move or your two backups have to cover all five spots in some combination of that. We need somebody that can do that, and Joe's our most versatile lineman on the team."

With Thuney back, the Patriots will look to settle on a starting quarterback for him to protect after Tom Brady's reported departure to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.