The Kansas City Chiefs traded Joe Thuney last offseason, sending him to the Chicago Bears for the next chapter of his NFL career. It was a massive trade for both teams, as the Bears were acquiring a versatile All-Pro player while the Chiefs had officially committed to sticking with Trey Smith, the younger player at the same position.
According to Bears offensive line coach Dan Roushar, Smith was the Bears' original target when they began their 2025 offseason quest to revamp their o-line. Roushar told the story of how Chicago eventually landed Thuney instead on Foster Swift Sports Talk.
"We were targeting another player in Kansas City," Roushar said. "Trey Smith was a high value sign out there. We knew the market was going to be high for him, and Kansas City re-signs him, and right away you realize that they might not be able to keep additional players. Well, it just worked out that Joe Thuney, somehow, someway, was available in a trade scenario for us."
Bears coach discusses how Joe Thuney ended up in Chicago
The Bears put the work in last offseason when it came to rebuilding their offensive line and Thuney played a huge part in that. He was his usual dominant self, protecting Caleb Williams well and also helping Chicago's run game thrive. Chiefs fans weren't surprised to see that, as Thuney has been a winner wherever he goes.
Hearing Roushar say that the Bears were targeting Smith also isn't surprising. He was supposed to be the hot, young commodity in free agency last year but the Chiefs franchise tagged him and then eventually signed him to a new contract. In doing so, Thuney was never going to be able to stick around so a deal was made and off to the Windy City Thuney went.
So far, it looks as though the Bears won the trade but that's no surprise. Thuney has been a dominant player throughout his career and he played a role in the Bears' resurgence in 2025.
The Chiefs' decision to stick with Smith could be looked at as the 'wrong' move, as he missed five games due to injury last year. He played at a high level when he was healthy though and was the younger option so it will hopefully work out in Kansas City's favor down the road.