Reaction: Kansas City Chiefs trade All Pro OL Joe Thuney to Chicago Bears for draft pick

According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday, the Kansas City Chiefs are trading All-Pro offensive lineman Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears for a 2026 fourth-round pick.

Despite the generous compensation that Kansas City is set to receive for Thuney, the loss of a Pro Bowl lineman will have major implications for the Chiefs’ approach to the 2025 offseason.

The NFL’s salary cap for the upcoming season will be $279,000,000, and Kansas City needed to offload a large contract to get back into the black. The reigning AFC champions will free up $16,000,000 by cutting ties with Thuney.

Thuney is one of the top offensive linemen in the NFL, and it won’t be easy for the Chiefs’ front office to replace him in the coming months. Without Thuney as their starter, Kansas City’s coaching staff will need to get creative to ensure that the Chiefs’ offensive interior doesn’t become a liability next season.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Given that Kansas City used its franchise tag on Trey Smith last week, it seems that the Chiefs are opting to embrace a youth movement up front as they endeavor to get back to the Super Bowl.

This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Joe Thuney trade: Reaction to Chiefs’ offseason deal with Bears