NFL: Bears Reportedly Trading For All-Pro Chiefs Guard Joe Thuney

“Bill [Belichick] let me have Joe Thuney, so I appreciated that,” said Chiefs head coach Andy Reid during a late-January episode of Sirius XM’s Let’s Go podcast. “But that kid, we have him out at left tackle now. I mean, Bill, you had him as… an All-Pro guard, and now he’s out there at left tackle, and he doesn’t say a word about it. He doesn’t complain. And that’s a whole different world out there. There’s no security blanket when you’re on that side, there on your outside. That’s a tough spot. But he just steps in and goes and never blinks on it.”

The Bears are making the right moves

I have said several times that Chicago desperately needed to address their offensive line this off-season. After all, quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked 68 times last year, tied for the third-most sacks a QB has ever taken in a single season.

They had two options to fix the O-Line: either do it through trades/free agency or do it through the NFL Draft. I think the Bears are taking the right approach by bolstering their line via trades and free agency.

There’s nothing wrong with improving your offensive line through the draft. However, I don’t think Chicago wants to sit and wait around for a rookie offensive lineman to develop into a full-fledged star. Simply put, they don’t have the luxury of time.

Chiefs to trade guard Joe Thuney to Bears. (via @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/r0Yej14qYo

— NFL (@NFL) March 5, 2025

The Bears have this limited window of opportunity where they can afford to spend money on other positions because Caleb Williams is under a rookie contract. Once Williams is eligible for an extension, he will probably demand a lot of money, which will take up a huge chunk of cap space each year. For now, though, his cap hit is roughly $10 million per year, which gives the Bears the flexibility to dedicate capital to other premium positions (like offensive line).

As a Packers fan, it kills me to say this, but the Chicago Bears have made all the right moves this off-season to become a playoff contender in the NFC. Now, it’s on them and their new head coach, Ben Johnson, to execute during the regular season.

The Chiefs gain more financial flexibility

Prior to this move, the Chiefs were $18.1 million over the cap. However, with Thuney’s contract off the books, they are expected to save $15.5 million.

Some of this newfound cap space will obviously be used to sign guard Trey Smiuth to his franchise tender. If he agrees to the one-year contract, then he will make $23.4 million this coming season. That means that the Chiefs are still $2 million over the cap.

In 24 hours, the Bears now have agreed to trade a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Rams for Jonah Jackson and a 2026 fourth-round pick to the Chiefs for Joe Thuney.

Bears are sparing no expense to protect Caleb Williams. pic.twitter.com/IW1OLfdfVJ

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 5, 2025

In reality, though, I’m sure that the Chiefs are not done offloading and reworking some of their bigger contracts. If Kansas City wants to make a splash this off-season, veterans are going to have to be open to restructuring contracts and taking pay cuts.

Patrick Mahomes is scheduled to have a $66.2 million cap hit this season. I can almost guarantee that he will rework his contract in some way to free up some more money for the Chiefs to use in free agency. As unlikely as it is, Travis Kelce could also restructure his deal since his cap hit is expected to be $19.8 million. Even if he takes a $3 or $4 million pay cut, that’s more than enough to bring in another veteran.