NEW ORLEANS, LA – FEBRUARY 09: Josh Sweat #19 of the Philadelphia Eagles rushes the quarterback … [+]
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Getting much of their heavy lifting done before free agency even begins, the Bears made their second trade of the week for an offensive line. This time they acquired 33-year-old All-Pro guard Joe Thuney from the Chiefs.
It is a move no one could have foreseen a month ago, when Kansas City’s other starting guard, Trey Smith, was expected to be the most heavily pursued free agent. But the Chiefs’ decision to use a franchise tag on the 25-year-old Smith created salary cap issues that prompted Kansas City to make Thuney available.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson pounced, giving up a fourth-round pick in 2026 while taking on the final season of Thuney’s contract. It seems likely the Bears will explore an extension with Thuney despite his advanced age.
While Thuney was less effective when injuries forced him to move to left tackle for the Super Bowl, he has played to an All-Pro level in each of the last two seasons. Pro Football Focus ranked him seventh overall among 77 qualifying guards last season, with a pass-blocking grade of 80, which ranked behind only Green Bay’s Elgton Jenkins and Denver’s Quinn Meinerz.
Thuney should immediately make life simpler for quarterback Caleb Williams, who led the NFL in sacks as a rookie. Poles and Johnson hope the same is true with 28-year-old guard Jonah Jackson, who they acquired from the Rams after a shoulder injury wrecked his 2024 season.
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Thuney enters the final season on a five-year contract with a salary cap hit of $16 million. Between them. he and Jackson bring $33.5 million in cap hits, leaving about $45.3 million for the pursuit of center and of an edge rusher.
To some degree, the trades reflect the feelings of the Bears front office about the guards who remain available in free agency. None offer impact like Thuney and, potentially, Jackson.
It’s got to be a shock to Kansas City fans that Thuney is on the move when he is under contract for 2025. But the $23.4 million franchise tag for Smith left the Chiefs more than $20 million above the $279,200,000 cap figure.
Thuney has been as remarkable for his durability as his blocking throughout a nine year career that began with 19 starts in front of Tom Brady with the Patriots’ 2016 team that dramatically won the Super Bowl over Atlanta. He has started 146 of a possible 148 games as a pro, earning All-Pro mentions four of the last six seasons.
He finished 10th in voting for AP Offensive Player of the Year last season, ahead of Patrick Mahomes (18th) and Travis Kielce (unranked). If the Bears do extend him, he will join Trent Williams (49ers), Garrett Bolles (Broncos) and Lane Johnson (Eagles) as the only active players with major contracts (three or four years) signed at age 32 or older.
Both Thuney and Jackson have spent most of their careers playing left guard but either should be capable of moving to the right side. While Thuney joins right tackle Darnell Wright as an anchor on the rebuilding line, it remains to be seen how they will fill a void at center and if they will attempt to upgrade left tackle as three-year starter Braxton Jones continues to recover from a broken left ankle suffered in December.
The easiest answer at center is to trust 29-year-old free agent Coleman Shelton, who started all 17 games for the Bears last season, ranking 12th among 40 qualifying centers in PFF’s grading system. But they have been linked to Drew Dalman, the Atlanta center who figures to be one of the top free agents. Chicago has three of the first 41 picks in the draft and seems likely to take a college lineman, or maybe two linemen, with those picks.
Everything Poles does should be easier after swapping a fourth-rounder for one of the NFL’s top linemen. The deal speaks to the urgency he and Johnson are feeling about trying to present a serious challenge in the stacked NFC North next season.