Thuney can unpack his luggage because he is here to stay. The Chicago Bears, who are a franchise known for defense, hence their moniker, ‘Monsters of the Midway’, wants to leave no stone unturned and make sure second-year quarterback Caleb Williams stays protected and upright for years to come. The team took a major step forward in accomplishing that goal Tuesday, reportedly extending guard Joe Thuney with a two-year, $35 million deal, according to multiple reports, including his agent, Mike McCartney.
The extension is for $17.5 million per year, a source with knowledge of the situation told ESPN’s senior NFL insider Adam Schefter, and the deal contains $33.5 million in guaranteed money making his new three-year contract worth $51 million in total and will keep Thuney in the ‘Windy City’ with the club through the 2027 campaign. If Thuney, 32 years old, can stay healthy and play out the entirety of the contract, he would have the highest career earnings of any guard in NFL history, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Thuney was acquired by the Bears in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs in March, not long after the Super Bowl. Chicago gave up a fourth-round pick for Thuney, who was entering the final year of the five-year, $80 million contract he inked with the Chiefs in 2021. While Thuney performed admirably last season, Kansas City’s intense cap situation made it difficult for the team to retain him beyond 2025, which may have led to the trade.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles had said that an extension for Thuney was inevitable and a priority this offseason. The new deal provides continuity along with stability, along the team’s interior offensive line, with Thuney, center Drew Dalman and guard Jonah Jackson all under contract through the 2027 season.
Embed from Getty ImagesThuney has been a strong presence on the line since he was a third-round pick by Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots in the 2016 NFL Draft out of NC State. He started every single game with the Patriots in five seasons with the club. Thuney also helped lead the team to a pair of Super Bowl championships.
He received even more acclaim and recognition for his excellence after joining Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Thuney made the Pro Bowl in each of the last three seasons and was named to the first-team NFL All-Pro team in both 2023 and 2024. He played a pivotal role in the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl in both 2022 and 2023. Thuney was selected as the Chiefs’ MVP last season by his teammates, receiving the Derrick Thomas Award in recognition of his unselfishness by transitioning over to left tackle at the end of the season.
Over nine NFL seasons with the New England Patriots and Chiefs, Thuney has been an iron man and a model of consistency, missing just two games, starting 146 games. He played an impressive 895 snaps at left guard in 2024 before moving to left tackle (217 snaps), where he replaced Wanya Morris beginning in Week 15 and protected Mahomes’ blind side throughout the Chiefs run to Super Bowl LIX.
Thuney has sported the highest pass block win rate (97.8%) in the NFL over the past two seasons.
