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It was a bit of a surprise that the Patriots used the franchise tag on guard Joe Thuney last month because it came with a price tag of just over $14.78 million.

That salary for the 2020 season made it less of a surprise that Thuney signed his franchise tender a short time later. That will also be his cap number, which is part of the reason why New England is tight against the cap heading into this week’s draft.

A long-term deal would bring that cap number down, but Mike Reiss of ESPN reports that the two sides are not close on a deal. That state of affairs leads Reiss to suggest that the Patriots would consider trading Thuney for a second day pick later this week and they could make such a move immediately because Thuney has signed the tag.

Peter King also included Thuney on a list of players who could be dealt before or during the draft in this week’s Football Morning in America, so that’s a situation to watch this week.