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Joe Thuney trade grades: Bears score high marks as they continue building O-line
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- Joe Thuney trade grades: Bears score high marks as they continue building O-line
The Kansas City Chiefs are trading four-time Super Bowl champion guard Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears , according to reports.
A day after news broke that the Bears were trading for Rams interior offensive lineman Jonah Jackson , Chicago is making another move to build up its offensive line. Multiple reports indicate that the Bears are sending a 2026 fourth-round pick in exchange for Thuney, who is in the final year of his contract and will carry a $16 million cap hit in 2025.
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The Chiefs will save $16 million against the salary cap while eating just under $11 million in dead cap with the trade. Kansas City 's choice to trade Thuney comes one day after it used the franchise tag on guard Trey Smith , a one-year contract worth $23.4 million.
Here are USA TODAY Sports' trade grades for each team:
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Joe Thuney trade grades
Chicago Bears : A
The Bears' biggest area of need entering this offseason was offensive line. For the second day in a row, the team addressed that need before free agency has even started.
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In Thuney, Chicago gets a versatile and (relatively) durable offensive lineman coming off of back-to-back years as a first-team All-Pro left guard. He'll turn 33 in November but is in the last year of his five-year contract and is responsible for a $16 million cap hit after the trade, which, by the way, didn't cost the Bears any of this year's draft picks.
As quarterback Caleb Williams enters his second season, the Bears' emphasis must be on setting him up for more success. Building a stronger offensive line is a massive part of that, and adding Thuney and Jackson to the trenches are big steps in the right direction.
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Kansas City Chiefs : C-
The Chiefs really needed to find a way to clear up some cap space after placing the franchise tag on guard Trey Smith on Tuesday. They were able to free up $16 million by trading Thuney, but it comes at the cost of losing one of the most valuable players on their offensive line.
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Thuney was a second-team All-Pro left guard in 2022 then a back-to-back first-team All-Pro in 2023 and 2024. Last season, the nine-year NFL veteran filled in at both left guard and left tackle – and excelled in both positions – as Kansas City struggled to solve its left tackle woes with other options.
Now, the Chiefs are going to need to find other ways to address their offensive line issues. They're just a month removed from a Super Bowl 59 outing that included six sacks allowed of quarterback Patrick Mahomes . While moving Thuney did allow them more cap space to work with in free agency, only getting back a 2026 draft pick means they'll have to make do with the six picks they have in the 2025 draft.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joe Thuney trade grades: How Chiefs, Bears fare after Wednesday deal
