Grading the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2021 free agent signings

Joe Thuney, OL

It’s pretty difficult to get a great value when signing an offensive guard to a 5-year, $80 million contract but the Kansas City Chiefs may have come as close as any team in recent memory when they signed Joe Thuney to that deal.

It’s easy for contracts like that to go sideway since most players are closer to 30 than 20 when they sign those contracts. Many players never return to the level they were at on their old team, especially when that old team is the New England Patriots. But not Thuney.

Thuney managed to have a career year in Kansas City after leaving New England. According to Pro Football Focus, Thuney had an overall grade of 81.2 and a pass-blocking grade of 90.5 ($) (with 90.0 considered “elite”), respectively, with both being the best of his career. Not only was his 90.5 pass-blocking grade the best among all guards in the NFL, but it was also the best among all offensive linemen. Period.

If you would have told me a year ago that the Chiefs wouldn’t come close to regretting signing Joe Thuney, I wouldn’t have believed it. He managed to have a career season after signing a huge contract, which isn’t common in the NFL. The only reason this grade won’t be an A+ is that he did sign a top-of-the-market contract so the value isn’t 100% there but it is close.

The Grade: A

Which grades did I get right? Which did I get wrong? Feel free to let me know in the comment section or on Twitter (@StrozinskyLucas).