The New England Patriots are expected to place the franchise tag on guard Joe Thuney, his agent Mike McCarthy announced Monday. Initially, we saw this as a tag-and-trade scenario, but the Patriots quickly rebuffed that theory in an official statement, at least for now. With a 12pm deadline to designate players with the franchise tag looming, the Patriots announced they would use their tag on guard Joe Thuney, with a goal of working out a long-term extension.Thuney was widely expected to hit the open free agency market, where he would have been one of the top offensive linemen available. The franchise tag will have him make $14.78 million in 2020. Despite the application of the tag, the Patriots could still trade Thuney. New England is not letting one of the best guards reach the open market. The Patriots are planning to use the franchise tag on Joe Thuney, Ian Rapoport reports. The franchise tag for offensive linemen is $14.78 million. The Patriots are placing the franchise tag on standout left guard Joe Thuney, his agent confirmed via Twitter on Monday.. The New England Patriots placed the franchise tag on left guard Joe Thuney, the team announced Monday.

2020 NFL free agency: What placing the franchise tag on Joe Thuney means for the Patriots New, 14 comments Related: Patriots place the franchise tag on Joe Thuney "Joe has been a model teammate and an essential element to our success since joining our team in 2016," the Patriots said in a statement. The Patriots have placed the franchise tag on left guard Joe Thuney, whose 97% pass-block win rate ranked second in the NFL among guards last season. Patriots to place franchise tag on guard Joe Thuney in unexpected move, per report The Patriots tag Thuney just before the franchise tag deadline Thuney was slated to enter unrestricted free agency, but the franchise tag will hold him to the Patriots on a one-year deal worth roughly $14 million. The team could also negotiate a long-term deal with Thuney.