In a stunning move, the Kansas City Chiefs are reportedly set to trade veteran guard Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
In exchange, the Bears will send the Chiefs a 2026 fourth-round pick, according to ESPN’s senior NFL insider Adam Schefter.
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini initially reported the Chiefs were mulling over moving Thuney, noting the Bears were one of the teams in negotiations.
The 32-year-old is set to play on an expiring contract with a large cap hit of just under $27 million next season.
Thuney has played for Andy Reid and the Chiefs for four seasons. He claimed his third straight Pro Bowl nod and second Super Bowl with the franchise in 2024.
The deal cannot be finalized until the league year officially begins a week from today on March 12.
The Chiefs will be on the hook for $10.9 million in dead cap and save $16 million in cap space with the trade, as noted by Spotrac.
The Chiefs already made Creed Humphrey the NFL’s highest-paid center last offseason, and guard Trey Smith is scheduled to earn more than $23 million if he stays in Kansas City on his non-exclusive franchise tag for 2025.
Embed from Getty ImagesThose steep costs could have priced the Chiefs out of paying Thuney for his next contract. According to Spotrac, Thuney is “widely expected” to receive an extension worth at least $20 million per year.
The trade marks the Bears’ continued efforts to improve their interior offensive line after No. 1 overall pick, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams took a lot of punishment with a league-high 68 sacks last season.
ESPN’s Bears reporter Courtney Cronin reported Tuesday the Bears had acquired guard Jonah Jackson from the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for a 2025 sixth-rounder.
The Bears will now add another veteran guard in Thuney, who for the first time in his career took significant snaps at tackle last season.
Thuney started out the season at left guard but transitioned to left tackle during the Chiefs’ Week 13 win over their division rival the Las Vegas Raiders.
Although Thuney was adequate at left tackle in the AFC Championship game, during which he did not allow a single pressure against the Buffalo Bills (h/t PFF’s Zoltán Buday), he and the rest of the Chiefs’ offensive line struggled as the Philadelphia Eagles allowed six sacks on Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LIX.
The Bears may decide to make an upgrade at left tackle next season. If Chicago targets the position in the draft or free agency rather than relying on Thuney, the Bears could both move on from Braxton Jones while setting up the former Chiefs All-Pro to return to his interior dominance in 2025.
