The Chiefs were one of two teams to use the franchise tag this year, cuffing fifth-year guard Trey Smith. The team has barely a week to move under the salary cap. A route being explored appears to be a trade of their more experienced starting guard.
Kansas City is discussing Joe Thuney in trades, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports. Thuney is heading into the final year of his contract and coming off back-to-back first-team All-Pro seasons. The Bears, who traded for Jonah Jackson on Tuesday, are among the interested teams, Russini adds.
As of Wednesday morning, the Chiefs are more than $18MM over the cap. While the three-time reigning AFC champions will need to prepare to lose some other free agents — Nick Bolton and Justin Reid perhaps among them — they will at least need to move under the cap and carve out some spending room to address other priorities. Left tackle is believed to be a place where the Chiefs are investigating, with Thuney’s final game of the season exposing him as overmatched while moonlighting there.
Smith is going into his age-26 season; Thuney will turn 33 in November. Swapping out an older guard’s salary for their younger guard standout is logical, even if Thuney has proven to be one of the best players at his position. Thuney, who also has two second-team All-Pro nods on his resume, would stand to attract interest. He is entering the final season of a five-year, $80MM contract; no guaranteed money remains on the deal.
Thuney is due a $15.5MM base salary in 2025 and will be set to carry a $26.97MM cap number. An acquiring team could reduce that via an extension, even if Thuney is moving close to his mid-30s. The nine-year veteran has started all 146 games he has played and has collected four Super Bowl rings. Thuney did not start for the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII, and while he endured a tough night against the Eagles last month, he was at his LG spot when the Chiefs beat them to win Super Bowl LVII.
The Bears have reunited Ben Johnson with Jackson, a four-year Lions starter. A move for Thuney would mark a reunion for GM Ryan Poles, who was with the Chiefs when they signed Thuney in 2021. As the Chiefs have paid Creed Humphrey and have Jawaan Taylor locked into a 2025 salary, they have put their most accomplished O-lineman on the trade block. The Bears used Teven Jenkins and Matt Pryor as their primary guards last season. A three-year Bears guard starter, Jenkins appears likely to leave in free agency next week.
Sounds like a typical Bears move and interest. A 32 year old vet with lots of mileage and 1 year left on his contract. Poles continues to pay for failures after 3 years of GM. I know I’m redundant here and my apologies. Poles needed to address the O-Line mandatory needs beginning in year 1 of his tenure. He failed to do so. Just look at the past 3 NFL drafts and look at some players he left on the board. It takes time to build a competent O-Line. Always difficult to implement the plug and play and deal with what seems like constant turnover.
You don’t think it’s a good move to add a very good veteran player that is accomplished and brings some stability where you need it? I do. I think it’s a very good move if they play him at guard.
Plain and simple, I do not. Another draft pick for an aging vet while digging into more cap money. Additionally, giving more cap space to KC. Maybe a year or two then more turnover for the O-Line which equals more instability. That’s just my opinion. Circling back, Poles needed to do something this season and he is. Poles continues to treat the symptoms not the disease.
It isa good trade
I was telling a co-worker who is a Chiefs fan that Thuney could be trade bait and he didn’t believe me. When you are 16 million over the cap, people have to restructure or get moved. This would save 11.5 million for the Chiefs. That would put them around 4.5 million but you also have to figure in your rookie contracts and that will be another 3.66 million.
So, if you clear 20 million in cap space, that basically puts you at even and then you have to clear more to be a part of free agency. Taylor and Jones need to step up and restructure. You don’t want to mess with Mahomes unless you have to. Most of his money this year is in bonus money so you can only move about 15 million off his base salary. Mahomes also has 2 void years at 60 million a pop already so you don’t want to add to that.
Well, the trade just happened. Bye bye Thuney!!