The Chicago Bears have now traded for two offensive guards in the same amount of days. After sending the Los Angeles Rams a sixth-round pick for Jonah Jackson on Tuesday, the Bears swung a deal for Kansas City Chiefs offensive guard Joe Thuney on Wednesday. The Bears are sending the Chiefs a 2026 fourth-round pick for the four-time All-Pro, according to CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones.
Thuney, who turns 33 in November, signed a five-year deal with the Chiefs in 2021 after five seasons with the New England Patriots. He won two Super Bowls in New England, and two with Kansas City. He held down the left guard spot for Kansas City, but was forced to play a career-high 218 regular-season snaps at left tackle in 2024 after the Chiefs’ other in-house options such as Kingsley Suamataia, Wanya Morris and D.J. Humphries failed to lock down the job.
The Chiefs’ offensive line is in flux this offseason. Kansas City placed the franchise tag on star right guard Trey Smith, which prohibits him from hitting free agency, and now, the Chiefs have two question marks on the left side of the line. Suamataia will be given a shot to compete at left guard with Thuney now gone, Yahoo Sports reports.
Thuney has one more year remaining on his current deal, and carries a cap hit of $16 million with him to Chicago, per Spotrac. You can expect an extension for Thuney before he even takes a snap in Chicago, which is something NFL Media reported as well.
Joe Thuney trade grades: Bears bolster O-line with All-Pro guard, Chiefs lose key blocker for Patrick Mahomes
Jordan Dajani
Thuney will move back inside when he joins Chicago’s revamped offensive line. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked 68 times in his rookie season, which led the NFL and was tied for the third-most sacks taken all time. Now, with more protection in front of him, Williams will be able to develop properly. Especially with an offensive mind like Ben Johnson at the helm.