Thuney has been with the Chiefs since 2021 / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Wednesday morning brought perhaps the first genuinely shocking development of the 2025 NFL offseason: the Kansas City Chiefs traded star guard Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears for a mid-round draft pick. Even after the Chiefs franchise-tagged their other guard, Trey Smith, the Thuney trade feels like a surprising decision from the team’s front office after the offensive line collectively got steamrolled in Super Bowl LIX. Willingly subtracting talent from the unit is an odd direction to take after that blowout loss.

However, there is some reasoning behind it. Sports Illustrated‘s Albert Breer dug into that reasoning after news of the trade broke.

“Trading Joe Thuney wasn’t easy for the Chiefs,” Breer wrote on X. “He’s LOVED in that building. But KC has the NFL’s highest-paid center, and now, on a tag, its highest-paid guard. And being in that spot, tough to extend Thuney, at 32, too.”

Thuney is entering the final year of the five-year, $80 million deal he signed with the Chiefs during 2021 free agency. He earned two first-team All-Pro nominations in Kansas City and admirably filled in at left tackle during the team’s playoff run this past season. Unfortunately, his limitations were exposed by the Eagles in the Super Bowl.

Thuney is undoubtedly an excellent player. But with Smith and center Creed Humphrey currently slated to count for over $30 million against the cap combined, KC had to shed some salary to improve the unit as a whole. Thuney’s age and expiring contract made him the ideal candidate for just that, even if he’s still a very good lineman.