Joe Thuney’s new contract shows Bears are serious about supporting Caleb Williams
The Bears extending Thuney is logical, the next step in trying to contend right away.
The 2025 Chicago Bears’ offseason has felt like one where they’re gearing up to contend right away. Hiring defensive coordinator Dennis Allen kept the defensive structure intact, then adding plenty of offensive weaponry around QB Caleb Williams to make the offense really take off under new head coach Ben Johnson.
However, one of their most important deals was trading for guard Joe Thuney. The Bears sent the Chiefs a 2026 fourth round pick for Thuney, a deal that gives the Chiefs a chance to rebuild their offensive line while the Bears get an already established veteran to play up front. On Tuesday, the Bears rewarded Thuney with a two-year, $35 million extension, giving him a new deal that works out to about $17.5 million per year. It’s not a market resetting deal, still coming in under new Packers’ guard Aaron Banks $19 million per year contract, but Thuney’s deal still makes him the fourth-richest left guard in the NFL.
If the goal for the Bears was to find out what exactly Caleb Williams can be in 2025, the Thuney trade and subsequent extension is a great first step to make in that direction. ESPN collects pass block and run block win rates, and for the 2024 season Thuney finished first among all interior offensive linemen in pass block win rate while also tying with Dallas’ Tyler Smith for the least amount of double team help as well. Williams was the most sacked QB in the entire league last season, and while some of it was on him trying to do a little bit too much, the offensive line in front of him didn’t offer much help. Thuney brings a veteran presence to the offensive line and will likely help to shore up communication and pass protection up front. According to ESPN, the Bears finished in the top ten of run block win rate, so Thuney coming in could make a good run blocking unit even better.
This extension also means stability for the Bears’ offense. For 2025 and beyond, they should have one of their offensive building blocks in place. While Thuney is 32 years old and might be on the decline, he was still one of the best guards in the league. There’s some risk in giving a player of Thuney’s age this style of extension, but the risk is worth it considering how effective he was in 2024 while playing guard and tackle for the Chiefs. The Bears can’t afford to put Williams behind another inconsistent offensive line, losing another year of development and risking scar tissue due to all the hits he would take. Thuney helps to fix that right away.