LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) – Veteran guard Joe Thuney has lifted the Lombardi Trophy four times in his nine-year NFL career, doing so twice with both the Patriots and Chiefs. He has protected two of the greatest quarterbacks in football history in Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes.
Thuney, 32, was traded from the Chiefs to the Bears in March, joining a Chicago franchise that’s hoping to take off after prolonged struggles.
Thuney has reached the playoffs in each of the last eight years. Chicago has done so just twice in that time frame and doesn’t have a postseason victory since January 2011.
Despite the Bears’ recent struggles, Thuney was drawn to the organization. If there was any need for proof of that, it came when he signed a two-year contract extension with the Bears on Tuesday. The extension was worth up to $35 million in new money and will keep him under contract in Chicago through 2027. Thuney can earn $51 million over the next three years.
It’s a commitment between Thuney and the Bears, and he’s eager to see it through.
“It seems like everyone's pulling in the same direction,” Thuney said Wednesday. “Everybody's really determined to keep working and improving, and it's kind of what I'm used to and it felt right. And then Chicago as a city, a franchise, you know, so much history, and I couldn't be happier.
“You realize this is a special place, special building, special history here."
Though Thuney is entering a decade in the NFL this season, he’s coming off the best stretch of his career, as he earned All-Pro honors in 2023 and 2024 and has earned Pro Bowl recognition in three straight years. Bears general manager Ryan Poles was familiar with Thuney from his time in the Kansas City front office, as he and Thuney overlapped in the Chiefs organization in 2021.
Thuney allowed just 8.5 sacks across the last four seasons, the fewest of any guard in the NFL with more than 2,000 snaps in that stretch, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked 68 times as a rookie in 2024.
For Thuney, the chance to play alongside a young quarterback in Williams was part of the appeal to sign an extension with the Bears, but there was more to the equation.
“I mean, it's important,” Thuney said. “But I think it's a team game and you can just feel from every position group – from offense, defense, special teams – just the desire, the push to keep working, keep getting better, keep improving. It really is a big team effort, and you can feel it from everywhere, coaches, staff, training room, strength staff, everybody. So, it's really exciting.”
By signing Thuney to an extension, the Bears now have four projected starters on the offensive line under contract through 2027. The team signed center Drew Dalman to a three-year deal in March and added a year to right guard Jonah Jackson’s contract after acquiring him in a trade with the Rams in March. Starting right tackle Darnell Wright has two more years left on his rookie contract, which also carries a fifth-year team option after that.
Extending Thuney puts the Bears in a position to have stability on the offensive line, and Thuney is thrilled about his future.
“It just happened, and just very happy with it,” Thuney said.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.