Report: Joe Thuney Expected to Play Under Franchise Tag

The Patriots had until Wednesday to come to a deal with Joe Thuney. But it looks like that won't happen.

New England Patriots offensive guard Joe Thuney is expected to play on the franchise tag for the 2020 season. 

Things are "all quiet" on the Joe Thuney front, according to NFL Media's Mike Giardi. The Patriots had until today to come to an agreement on a contract extension before Thuney had to play out the 2020 season on the franchise tag.

Source reports "all quiet" on the Joe Thuney front. Looking like he will play under the franchise tag this year. #Patriots @AroundTheNFL @nflnetwork

— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) July 15, 2020

Now that Thuney is likely to play on the franchise tag (though the day is not over yet), the All-Pro guard will stick his $14.78 million cap hit to New England for 2020. 

If the team and Thuney do agree to an extension before the end of the day, that could help significantly reduce Thuney’s cap hit for this season. If that were to happen, New England could add onto their current $7.79 million in available cap space.