The Kansas City Chiefs made a somewhat surprising move to begin free agency when the franchise traded star guard Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears.
What made it odd was that the offensive line was deemed the most critical part of the roster that needed reinforcement, and the Chiefs just traded away one of the best guards in football.
Given how well Thuney played at left tackle last season due to the poor play of Wanya Morris and Kingsley Suamataia, he was expected to move back inside to guard-then he got traded.
But why? Speaking on The Bettor Angle podcast, head coach Andy Reid revealed that it was a move made to balance the books.
"The thing you have to do is manage this [salary] cap thing, it's a nightmare," Reid said. "If you're not going to push a ton of money forward, you gotta manage the cap, it's not an easy thing to manage, and sometimes you have to make these decisions, and it just kicks you right in the butt. They're tough ones, they're just tough."
The Chiefs did sign former San Francisco 49ers backup Jaylon Moore to be the next man up in trying to nail down the starter role at left tackle, but with Thueny gone, a spot at left guard has opened up.
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Kingsley Suamataia is thought to be the one who gets the first crack at the position, along with Mike Caliendo, who underwhelmed last season.
It is a harsh NFL reality, and the salary cap does play a large role in star players moving on, and in Thuney's case, he made his name in Kansas City as one of the league's best, but even that can't save him from being a salary cap casualty.
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This story was originally published March 12, 2025 at 7:30 PM.