General manager Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears didn’t waste any time adding significant upgrades along the offensive line in front of Caleb Williams.
In the week leading up to the new NFL league year opening, Poles and the Bears acquired four-time Super Bowl champion and four-time All-Pro, including a two-time First-Team selection, Joe Thuney from the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2026 after securing guard Jonah Jackson in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams.
What sparked the Chicago Bears’ Joe Thuney trade
According to a league source, granted anonymity to speak freely about a situation he otherwise isn’t authorized to discuss publicly, Poles’ longstanding relationship with Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach was a catalyst in getting the Bears across the finish line in the Thuney sweepstakes.
“Teams realized that Kansas City had the highest-paid center and right guard in the league with no offensive tackles, and started inquiring,” the league source with knowledge of the trade discussions tells me. “I have to think that Brett Veach and Ryan Poles’ relationship helped a ton.”
Poles rose up the ranks in the Chiefs’ organization and worked alongside Veach from 2013 until becoming the Bears’ general manager in 2022, so it is easy to see how their rapport could have helped drive trade talks.
In Thuney, the Bears acquire a stalwart guard and one of the premier players at the position, coming off a season in which he only allowed six quarterback hits and didn’t surrender a sack.
Now, Poles and the Bears must get to work on deciding whether to extend Thuney beyond the final year of his $80 million contract, which he’s entering in 2025.
Trading for Thuney not only adds a centerpiece along an offensive line in the midst of a revamp after allowing 68 sacks last season but checks a major box for Poles in an offseason where the Bears can now dedicate resources via free agency and the draft to other pressing areas of need.
Chicago Bears blasted for costly offensive line trade with Rams
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