When Ben Johnson took the Chicago Bears job two offseasons ago, all questions centered around Caleb Williams, naturally. The former Heisman Trophy winner and 2024 No. 1 overall pick had endured a brutal rookie season in a brutal offensive ecosystem. He had taken 68 sacks -- tied for third-most ever -- and his offensive coordinator got fired mid-season.
His coach got fired two and a half weeks later, also midseason. So Johnson needed stability, not only from his quarterback but for his quarterback. He and GM Ryan Poles went to work quickly and nailed one of their first moves as a duo: acquiring guard Joe Thuney from the Chiefs.
Ahead of the Bears' "Thursday Night Football" showdown against the Patriots -- for whom Thuney played for five years and won two Super Bowls -- we revisit a move that helped kickstart Chicago's turnaround. The Chiefs didn't move on from Thuney due to a decline in play. Even in his age-32 season, Thuney was producing at a high level.
He was a first-team All-Pro for the second straight year and, amid injuries and underperformance along Kansas City's offensive line, even kicked out to left tackle and played serviceably. In fact, he finished 10th in Offensive Player of the Year voting. Rather, the Chiefs were running into a financial crunch.
They had franchise-tagged right guard Trey Smith. Right tackle Jawaan Taylor carried a massive cap hit. Center Creed Humphrey's extension was starting to kick in, as was defensive tackle Chris Jones'.
There were high-priced veterans across the board. Thuney was due an extension -- he got two years and $35 million from Chicago two months after the trade -- and the Chiefs weren't going to be the ones to deliver it. That's the price of success.
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