Ex-Patriots OL Joe Thuney Agrees to Reported 5-Year, $80M Contract with Chiefs

Star guard Joe Thuney agreed to sign a five-year, $80 million deal with the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Albert Breer of the MMQB provided additional details on the deal:

One important player in Kansas City was happy to see the news:

Thuney played on a $14.7 million franchise tag for the New England Patriots in 2020 after the two sides couldn't come to terms on a long-term deal. That left three options after the season ended: a long-term extension, playing on the franchise tag again in 2021 (around $17-18 million) or signing elsewhere as an unrestricted free agent.

The 28-year-old reportedly went for the third option.

Thuney has emerged as one of the better guards in football. Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 91st-best player in football in 2019 and gave him a grade of 74.2 in 2020, a down year for the Patriots as a whole.

The Pats have had a lot of roster turnover in the past two years, and Thuney joins the list of high-profile departures.

He'll be expected to help anchor Kansas City's offensive line for the foreseeable future. He didn't come cheap, but his burgeoning status as one of the game's top guards made acquiring him a smart move.