The New England Patriots desperately need to upgrade their offensive line.
So it was surprising when the Kansas City Chiefs traded All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears earlier this week for the small price of a 2026 fourth-round draft pick.
Thuney was a third-round pick of the Patriots in 2016 and won two Super Bowl titles in New England. He has spent the last four seasons playing for the Chiefs and won two more rings during that time.
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Bringing him back would have made a lot of sense for the Patriots. He's still an excellent player and he's also a tremendous leader. He fits the culture that new head coach Mike Vrabel is looking to build.
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The MMQB's Albert Breer said Wednesday on NBC Sports Boston's Boston Sports Tonight that the Patriots called the Chiefs about a potential Thuney trade but weren't willing to meet the asking price.
"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."
How much was the money a factor?
"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."
Even if it was just for one year, adding an All-Pro caliber guard for the cost of a future fourth-rounder should have been an easy move for the Patriots to make. And it's not like money is an issue for the Patriots, they have the most salary cap space of any team by far.
The Patriots can still make significant upgrades to their offensive line through the draft and free agency, but this Thuney situation should have been a layup.