To Help Protect Caleb Williams, The Chicago Bears Signed Super Bowl Winner Joe Thuney To An Extension

For much of his professional career, guard Joe Thuney has been a key part of winning teams. He was drafted by the New England Patriots and tasked with protecting Tom Brady on the offensive line. During his rookie season, the Patriots won the Super Bowl. They reached the Super Bowl again the following year and won a second Super Bowl during his third season in Foxboro.

He joined the Kansas City Chiefs in March 2021. With Patrick Mahomes under center, Thuney's Kansas City tenure looked like this: AFC Championship appearance, Super Bowl win, Super Bowl win, Super Bowl loss.

That's six Super Bowl appearances and four victories across nine years. The Chicago Bears would love even a whiff of that consistency. And after trading for Thuney this offseason, the team is wasting no time signing him to a contract extension.

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The Bears and Thuney agreed to a two-year contract extension worth $35 million. Thuney still had one year left on his deal with Kansas City, so he'll earn $51 million (with $33.5 million guaranteed) from the Bears.

Thuney should be a solid improvement for the Bears, who have often had struggles and inconsistent play on their offensive line. Chicago drafted quarterback Caleb Williams with the top pick in the 2024 draft and then watched him get sacked 68 times last year. That's the third-most times a QB has been sacked in a season, behind only David Carr (76 times in 2002) and Randall Cunningham (72 times in 1986).

The Bears traded for Thuney in March, sending Kansas City a fourth-round draft pick for 2026. His Chiefs teammates recognized him with the Derrick Thomas Award as the team's MVP. He played at both left guard and left tackle. He's also been named to two consecutive All-Pro selections and has appeared in all but two games over the course of his nine-year career. He should bring some much-needed stability to the offensive line.

Should the Bears expect an immediate trip to at least an NFC Championship Game, if not a Super Bowl? It'll be tough, but if they do make it, we'll know Thuney really does have a magic touch.