The Chicago Bears did plenty of work this offseason to erase a disappointing 5-12 campaign. The Bears fired Matt Eberflus midway through last season and replaced him with Ben Johnson last winter.
Chicago then overhauled an offensive line that allowed Caleb Williams to get sacked 52 times last season and upgraded their weapons by adding tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden III in the NFL Draft.
Put it together and there will be a lot of new faces when the Bears open the season against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 8. But one of those faces made sure their time in Chicago won’t be a pit stop as he quickly signed an extension on Tuesday morning.
Joe Thuney Signs Two-Year Extension With Bears
The Bears announced that offensive guard Joe Thuney has signed a two-year extension with the team. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the extension is worth $17.5 million per year, which brings Thuney’s total to $51 million over the next three seasons with $33.5 million fully guaranteed at signing.
Thuney’s extension is another investment in an offensive line that finished 24th in Pro Football Focus’s offensive line rankings from last season. The Bears acquired Thuney from the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick and it came on the same day when Chicago officially moved a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams for Jonah Jackson and signed center Drew Dalman to a three-year, $42 million contract.
While Dalman and Jackson are big acquisitions, Thuney is the biggest splash as a two-time All Pro, three-time Pro Bowler and four-time Super Bowl champion. The 32-year-old’s 80.0 grade was seventh among qualifying guards according to Pro Football Focus and his 35 pressures allowed on 829 pass-blocking snaps may have been watered down after playing left tackle for the final month of the regular season and the Chiefs’ run to the Super Bowl.
The moves should help Wiliams thrive in his second season in Chicago. The Bears made a lucrative investment to poach Johnson, who was the offensive coordinator with the Detroit Lions, as their next head coach and the money used to build the trenches should help the Bears make a move in a competitive NFC North Division next season.