Joe Thuney's updated contract details gives the Bears' front office some short term relief to help finalize some remaining offseason goals
Last week, the Chicago Bears finalized a two-year extension with left guard Joe Thuney, acquired via trade from the Kansas City Chiefs earlier in the offseason.The new deal extended Thuney's contract through the 2027 season and helps keep him in the building as a foundational player up-front."It's been great," Thuney said last Wednesday. "Everyone seems […]
Last week, the Chicago Bears finalized a two-year extension with left guard Joe Thuney, acquired via trade from the Kansas City Chiefs earlier in the offseason.
The new deal extended Thuney's contract through the 2027 season and helps keep him in the building as a foundational player up-front.
"It's been great," Thuney said last Wednesday. "Everyone seems to be really intent, intense and focused. It's something I want to be a part of. Guys working for each other and everyone's trying to improve bit-by-bit. It's a process. It's early, but I think guys like working here. It's been great.”
Now that time has passed, we have gotten some confirmation on some of the hidden details of Thuney's extension and how it helps the team, especially in 2025.
In total, Thuney is under contract for three years, valued at $51 million. Of that $51 million, $33.5 million is guaranteed over the next two seasons, including $18 million in 2025. The kicker is that the new deal lowered Thuney's 2025 cap hit from $16 million to $8 million, giving the front office $8 million to work with.
After the 2026 season, the Bears have an out in the contract with only a $5 million cap hit. If the Bears opt to keep Thuney for 2027, which lines up with the timeline of the other two interior offensive linemen, Thuney will have a roster bonus that triggers in March of 2027.
Short-Term Implications
Based on these details, the Bears are sitting in the much better spot for 2025 in terms of creating some easy cap relief to finalize some of the remaining offseason goals.
The top priority now is signing the remaining members of the draft class. Colston Loveland, Ruben Hyppolite II, Zah Frazier, Luke Newman, and Kyle Monangai are the current draft picks under contract, leaving Luther Burden III, Ozzy Trapilo, and Shemar Turner still unsigned.
It's not a big deal, and the reason why can be further explained here. Prior to Thuney's new deal hitting the books, the Bears had just over $6 million in cap space, per Over The Cap. Those three second-round pick contracts would have dropped that significantly, and now the team has made some extra space easily beforehand.
Even once those deals are inked with the remaining three rookies, teams still like to carry roughly $5 million for in-season spending (bonuses or added signings). Freeing up more money also helps the chances of adding another veteran free agent to the mix during training camp, someone like Nick Chubb perhaps.
Overall, the deal looks as expected. Thuney will for sure be around for the next two seasons, with a potential third on the table. In the meantime, the Bears got some extra spending money that was desperately needed.
Why Luther Burden III, Ozzy Trapilo, and Shemar Turner have yet to sign their rookie contracts with the Bears with OTAs rolling on
It’s nothing to be worried about, yet.
