The Kansas City Chiefs officially made Trey Smith the highest-paid guard in NFL history on Tuesday, inking the Pro Bowl lineman to a four-year, $92 million contract with $70 million guaranteed. He joins Creed Humphrey, the highest-paid center of all time, as a cornerstone of Kansas City's offensive line. This ought to thrill Chicago Bears fans.
As their payroll spikes, the Chiefs have made some tough cuts over the years. One of the toughest was trading left guard Joe Thuney to the Bears this offseason. On a two-year, $35 million contract that runs through 2027, Thuney was too expensive for the Chiefs. There was no way to reasonably pay both him and Smith at their respective values.
That gave Chicago an easy path to upgrading the offensive line around Caleb Williams. A three-time Pro Bowler and four-time Super Bowl champ, the 32-year-old Thuney brings valuable experience and ability to the Bears offense. There's a strong argument that Thuney is more valuable than Smith right now, but since the former is older, the Chiefs opted to extend the 26-year-old Smith instead. Kansas City's offensive line is compromised as a result.
Bears are big winners of Joe Thuney trade after Chiefs' Trey Smith extension
The Chiefs needed to hammer out a deal for Smith, who was the only franchise tag recipient left without a new deal ahead of the July 15 deadline. But even with Smith locked up, the O-line in Kansas City is leaky. Josh Simmons is a rookie who will be tasked with immediate credibility at left tackle (unless the team wants to rely on former 49ers reserve Jaylon Moore). Second-year guard Kingsley Suamataia will replace Thuney at left guard; he showed promise as a rookie, but he's far from an upgrade over the more battle-tested Thuney.
Patrick Mahomes was sacked six times in the Chiefs' Super Bowl LIX loss to Philadelphia. Now Thuney is gone and the books are even more laden for the Kansas City front office. All while Thuney gets a fresh start as a leader in the locker room for Chicago and an integral part of the revamped offensive line in front of Williams. Chiefs fans already did not feel great about the Thuney trade.
The moment I learned Chiefs fans might be a little worried about the Joe Thuney trade pic.twitter.com/oSm3ruhZl4
— ThatsGoodSports (@BrandonPerna) March 5, 2025
All Chicago gave up for Thuney was a fourth-round pick. That is a Day 3 pick for multiple years of control over one of the NFL's top offensive linemen, all so Kansas City could drop a highly restrictive big-ticket contract on Smith instead.
Bears look like real contenders with Joe Thuney
It has been a great offseason in Chicago. The Ben Johnson hire should revitalize the offense and put Williams in a much better position to succeed. Factor in the continued development of Rome Odunze at wide receiver and the Colston Loveland pick at tight end, and the Bears feel like a potent bunch. Especially with Thuney anchoring a dramatically improved offensive line.
Chicago has struggled to win in the trenches in recent years, but that narrative is quickly turning around. After signing Drew Dalman and drafting Ozzy Trapilo (in addition to the Thuney trade), the Bears appear more than capable of keeping Williams insulated in the pocket.
Williams is a challenging quarterback to protect because of how often he moves around and improvises, but he took an NFL-worst 68 sacks last season. That was unacceptable, regardless of context. If the Bears can keep Williams upright and allow him to properly survey the field, we should see more production out of that cannon strapped to his right shoulder.
Bears fans, take a bow. Your team is winning the offseason and outmaneuvering the three-time champs in Kansas City.