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Bears guard Joe Thuney works out during organized team activities in the Walter Payton Center at Halas Hall on May 21 in Lake Forest, Ill. John J. Kim, Chicago Tribune/TNS
Joe Thuney has been a part of football at its best.
He won four Super Bowls with two teams in New England and Kansas City. He won those rings with two coaches of different styles and demeanors in Bill Belichick and Andy Reid. He knows what winning football looks like.
When the Chicago Bears traded a 2026 fourth-round draft pick to the Chiefs in exchange for Thuney in March, the four-time All-Pro guard had little say in the matter.
He was heading to a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2010 season and is coming off a 5-12 finish in 2024. With one year remaining on his contract, it was initially unclear if Thuney would be a one-year rental in Chicago or if this would be a more long-term pairing.
Thuney answered that question this week when he signed a two-year, $35 million contract extension that will keep him with the Bears through the 2027 season. The team made the deal official Wednesday morning.
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When the Bears began their offseason workout program in April, Thuney needed only a couple of weeks at Halas Hall to realize this is where he wants to be.
“As the days rolled into weeks, you realize this is a special place, special building, special history here, and the people in the building just make it even more special,” Thuney said. “I don’t know if there was an exact moment or anything, but pretty early on I could just tell this is something I want to be a part of, something that I think would be really cool going forward.”
The money, of course, talks. Stability beyond the current season is always important to an NFL player. But it says a lot that a veteran such as Thuney — who made close to $100 million in his first two NFL contracts — wants to stay in Chicago.
He could have played out this season and tested the free-agent market next year in search of an opportunity to join a contender. Instead, Thuney is putting his faith in the Bears franchise. More specifically, he’s putting it in the hands of first-year coach Ben Johnson.
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Kansas City Chiefs guards Joe Thuney (62) and Mike Caliendo (66) cheer as running back Kareem Hunt scores the game-winning touchdown in overtime, securing a 30-24 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Nov. 4, 2024, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. Thuney is now a member of the Chicago Bears. Emily Curiel/
Already, Thuney is impressed.
“Being in meetings with him, you can just tell the intent, the intention, the attention to detail, very high standard, which is awesome,” Thuney said. “He’s very good at communicating. You know exactly what he wants from each play, from each player, very specific. He’s a great coach, teaches very well and it’s very cool to learn from.”
Thuney’s veteran presence is exactly why the team targeted him before free agency. He has played in 146 regular-season games plus 21 playoff games. He rarely misses snaps because of injury. According to Bears offensive line coach Dan Roushar, Thuney puts his head down and works.
“He’s extremely humble,” Roushar said last month. “He’s really smart. He knows exactly how to play the game. He knows how to prepare. He’s really got a great mind from a football standpoint. I feel like he is going to have a phenomenal presence with the group.”
The Bears plan to play Thuney at left guard. He and fellow additions Drew Dalman at center and Jonah Jackson at right guard will make up a completely revamped interior offensive line. With Thuney signing his extension, the Bears now have all three under contract through 2027.
The hope is they can bolster a line that needed a reboot inside.
“Drew and Jonah are great guys,” Thuney said. “They work relentlessly, weight room, film room, every part of the game, you can tell how passionate they are for the game. It’s cool that guys will be here for a couple years, so it’s been great working with them.”
That process finally is beginning to take shape. The Bears are back on the practice field this week for the beginning of organized team activities. For the first time since last month’s NFL draft, they have most of the veterans and rookies on the field together.
The team still has questions to work out at left tackle. Last year’s starter, Braxton Jones, remains out as he recovers from ankle surgery. The coaching staff is giving both Kiran Amegadjie, a second-year pro out of Yale, and Ozzy Trapilo, a rookie from Boston College, looks at left tackle during OTAs.
But no matter how things shake out on the quarterback’s blind side, the Bears can rest assured they have their three building blocks on the interior locked up for the foreseeable future.
Photos: Remembering Chicago Bears legend Dick Butkus
Dick Butkus 2016
Dick Butkus 2016
Former NFL player Dick Butkus announces that the Chicago Bears selects Kansas State’s Cody Whitehair as the 56th pick in the second round of the 2016 NFL football draft, Friday, April 29, 2016, in Chicago. CHARLES REX ARBOGAST, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dick Butkus
Dick Butkus
Dick Butkus holds his bust at enshrinement ceremonies at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, July 28, 1979. MADELINE DREXLER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Former Chicago Bears player Dick Butkus 2019
Former Chicago Bears player Dick Butkus 2019
Former Chicago Bears player Dick Butkus is interviewed on the field during the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game between the Bears and Philadelphia EaglesSunday, Jan. 6, 2019, in Chicago. NAM Y. HUH, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Obit Gale Sayers Football
Obit Gale Sayers Football
In this June 19, 1970, file photo. Chicago Bears teammates of Brian Piccolo carry his coffin into Christ the King Church for funeral services in Chicago. From left, front to back, are Randy Jackson, Dick Butkus, and Gale Sayer. Ed O'Bradovich is at right. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bears Butkus 1970
Bears Butkus 1970
Chicago Bears linebacker Dick Butkus poses for a photo in 1970. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Obit Butkus Football
Obit Butkus Football
Former Chicago Bears linebacker Dick Butkus watches during the first half of an NFL football game between the Bears and the New York Giants in Chicago, Nov. 24, 2019. PAUL SANCYA, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Obit Butkus Football
Obit Butkus Football
Chicago Bears' Lee Roy Caffee (60), Dick Butkus (51) and Phil Clark (39) try to stop Green Bay Packers' John Hilton (86) after a pass reception during an NFL football game Nov. 15, 1970, in Green Bay, Wis. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Obit Butkus Football
Obit Butkus Football
Illinois' Dick Butkus, top, and Rich Callaghan, bottom, try to tackle Wisconsin quarterback Ron Vanderkelen (15) during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game Nov. 17, 1962, in Champaign. LARRY STODDARD, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Obit Butkus Football
Obit Butkus Football
Former Chicago Bears linebacker Dick Butkus poses with fans during the team's NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers on Sept. 10, 2023, in Chicago. NAM Y. HUH, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bears Commanders Football
Bears Commanders Football
Scoreboard displays the image of Hall of Fame Chicago Bears player Dick Butkus during a moment of silence before the start of the first half of an NFL football game between the Washington Commanders and the Chicago Bears, Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023, in Landover, Md. ALEX BRANDON, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dick Butkus
Dick Butkus
NFL Hall of Famer Dick Butkus, center, waits for the second round of the 2016 NFL football draft with former players, Friday, April 29, 2016, in Chicago. CHARLES REX ARBOGAST, ASSOCIATED PRESS
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