With Joe Thuney leaving Tuesday without a contract extension, the New England Patriots used the franchise tag on a player for the first time since 2015. The last player to play out the franchise tag was Stephen Gostkowski — and it was Wes Welker in 2012 before then.
The deadline ended at 4 p.m. and it locked in a $14.78 million cap hit against the Patriots for this season. Thuney, 27, was the top interior lineman to hit free agency this offseason and he’ll likely carry the same appeal heading into the 2021 offseason. He was drafted by New England in 2016 and has played more snaps than any other Patriot during that time.