Joe Thuney signing: Overlooked aspects of K.C. Chiefs big acquisition

Trust the deal

For anyone who is still a bit perplexed at the Kansas City Chiefs not only spending big money on the first day of free agency but doing so at a position at which the Chiefs just had the likes of Kelechi Osemele for the veteran minimum, perhaps the only way to encourage you to take heart in this matter is to remind you who else wanted this deal done.

Just last year, the New England Patriots, who are famous for jettisoning all manner of veteran players shortly before they get expensive, didn’t want to lose Joe Thuney. Instead, they gave him a franchise tag and paid him more than $14 million for a single season to remain with the team. After this season, instead of moving on for another younger and less expensive part, Bill Belichick once again wanted Thuney back based on multiple sources and made such overtures. In fact, the Patriots were reportedly working to bring him back even as the Chiefs were likely negotiating terms themselves.

Of all the vets who have been pushed out of town by Belichick over the years, Thuney was one he wanted to keep. And even if the Chiefs weren’t going to pay this amount, the Patriots sound like they were poised to meet the threshold, too. Certainly Thuney wasn’t going to take a pay cut after making $14M last year.

Beyond this, not only was Belichick hopeful for Thuney to return to the Pats, but Brett Veach is also staking his entire offseason on this acquisition. The Chiefs had to rework several things to add another contract of this size on the books and they chose Thuney as their prize.

The Chiefs came into the offseason with one primary responsibility above all else: learn how to protect Patrick Mahomes for the long term. Every move up front has been made with this long-term goal in mind, and Joe Thuney is the first big import to make that happen. By signing Thuney, the Chiefs have added a strong veteran leader who is a dependable performer with a versatile, well-rounded skill set at a position that has never had an impact performer in a decade or more. Sounds like a good deal to me.