Former Patriots guard Joe Thuney traded by Chiefs to Bears
Former New England Patriots guard Joe Thuney has a new NFL home. The veteran offensive lineman was traded from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Chicago Bears on Wednesday.
The Chiefs will receive a 2026 fourth-round pick from Chicago in return for Thuney, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Thuney is the second offensive lineman the Bears have acquired via trade over the last 24 hours, after Chicago landed Jonah Jackson from the Rams for a 2025 sixth-round pick.
The Bears are building up their offensive line to protect quarterback Caleb Williams in his second NFL season, after the 2024 No. 1 overall pick was sacked 68 times last year -- the most of any quarterback. The Patriots are looking to make similar moves this offseason, though New England's focus will come at the two tackle positions.
Thuney has started 146 games over his nine-year NFL career, and played both guard and left tackle for the Chiefs in 2024. He was Kansas City's starting left tackle in Super Bowl LIV but struggled mightily against a vaunted Philadelphia Eagles pass rush, which sacked Patrick Mahomes six times in a 40-22 victory over the Chiefs.
Joe Thuney's NFL career
Thuney came into the league as a third-round pick by the Patriots and spent five seasons in New England, winning a pair of Super Bowl titles. He was a second-team All Pro for the Patriots in 2019, and was named to New England's All-Dynasty and All-2010s teams.
But Thuney left New England in 2021 when he signed a five-year deal with the Chiefs. He won two more Super Bowl rings while in Kansas City, and earned Pro Bowl nods from 2022-24 and First-Team All Pro honors in 2023 and 2024.
New England's needs on offensive line
The Patriots will be in the market for a pair of tackles this offseason after allowing Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye to be sacked 52 times during the 2024 season. While New England is expected to make a run at free agent linemen Ronnie Staley and Cam Robinson, Elliot Wolf and company may have to dip into the trade market to fill the big voids at the end of the Patriots offensive line.
And now that the Chiefs have traded Thuney, Kansas City may jump into the fray for one of the top tackles available. The NFL's legal tampering window opens Monday at noon, while NFL free agency officially kicks off on Wednesday.