Joe Thuney getting franchise tagged might mean Tom Brady is gone

The New England Patriots surprisingly opted to place the franchise tag on guard Joe Thuney, perhaps signaling their intentions about Tom Brady’s future.

Most of the intrigue in the NFL’s free-agent frenzy has surrounded the future of New England Patriots’ star quarterback Tom Brady. Most assumed the Patriots would strongly consider making a run at retaining the future Hall-of-Famer, but New England made a stunning move with their franchise tag today that changes everything.

This decision means that the Patriots will keep offensive guard Joe Thuney, one of the most coveted players on the open market, from reaching free agency. Thuney will now receive the franchise tender from New England, which was around $14 million for a guard last year, although the Patriots could be looking at a tag-and-trade scenario here.

Tying up that cap space, however, would severely limit the Patriots’ potential to re-sign Brady, who has reportedly been seeking top dollar offers. New England entered the day with only $19.5 million in cap space, and that doesn’t figure in the contract extension Devin McCourty received last night from the Patriots.

Brady himself, due to the structure of his deal voiding, counts for a $13.5 million cap hit even before a new deal is signed. If Bill Belichick wants New England to remain competitive, and there is no reason to believe he wants to start a rebuild now, signing Brady would be cost-prohibitive unless the quarterback is willing to take a massive discount.

There are no indications Brady’s thinking has changed at all in this regard, so the Thuney news all but signals the end of TB12’s time in Foxborough. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been the most heavily linked team to Brady right now, although there have also been rumors of interest from the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers.

Brady should have no difficulty landing a job with a high-paying contract, but this move by New England all but assured that he will not end his career playing only for the Patriots.