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Breer: Patriots didn’t meet Chiefs’ asking price in Joe Thuney trade
"I am a little surprised they weren't willing to go to that price."
The Patriots’ most pressing need this offseason revolves around the offensive line.
And while most of New England’s struggles in the trenches and issues with pass protection were centered on a dreadful grouping of tackles, the Patriots were lacking in talent all across their five-man unit during the 2024 season.
Given Mike Vrabel’s emphasis on building up New England’s offensive and defensive lines this offseason, it should come as little surprise that the Patriots reportedly reached out to the Chiefs to gauge the availability for All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney.
Thuney — who won a pair of Super Bowls with the Patriots before eventually going on to win another two titles with the Chiefs — was eventually dealt to the Chicago Bears this week in exchange for a fourth-round pick.
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While a fourth-round pick might seem like a small price to pay for an All-Pro guard and veteran leader, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer noted on NBC Sports Boston on Wednesday that New England balked at what Kansas City was seeking as far as compensation.
“They talked to the Chiefs about Joe Thuney, obviously they wouldn’t meet their price, which seems a little crazy given their offensive line issues, and the fact that this is a future fourth-round pick,” Breer said.
“I would have some questions if it was this year’s fourth-round pick because they’ve only got eight picks and a ton of roster needs to take care of and they need to draft well, and need that margin for error. But I am a little surprised they weren’t willing to go to that price.”
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Thuney has one year left on the initial five-year, $80 million contract he signed with Kansas City. Even though New England does have nearly $128 million in cap space this offseason, Breer stressed that the Patriots were hesitant to take on the entirety on Thuney’s cap hit for the 2025 season.
“The Bears are going to take on the contract as is. They’re gonna make an effort to extend him, but the fact that it’s a $16 million lump sum, one year, he’s not signed beyond this year, so who knows what he’ll want after this year,” Breer said. “That I think is the biggest question here, is that it addresses the problem for right now, but it doesn’t really address the problem for 2026 or 2027 or down the line.
“I’d argue the other way. You need to have guys in here who can play at that kind of level and get you to respectability. And if it’s a 2026 draft pick, that gives you a full year to recoup that. There are different ways to build up your draft capital, so there would be time to recoup that draft pick.
“I think a big part of it would be you’d have him for a single year. He’s not signed past 2025, and it is one lump sum.”
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