The Kansas City Chiefs made a shocking decision as they reportedly agreed to trade Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears on Wednesday morning. The deal ends Thuney’s tenure in Kansas City after four seasons and gives the Chiefs offensive line a new look after it was decimated by the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl.
When Chiefs fans process the move, their biggest question will be “Why?” At 32 years old, Thuney remained one of the top guards in the NFL and even moved to left tackle as the Chiefs made their run through the playoffs. But a deeper look reveals that there was more than just acquiring a draft pick as the motive of the trade and it could help a difficult contract negotiation for Kansas City heading into free agency.
Joe Thuney Trade Will Help The Chiefs Extend Trey Smith
One of the biggest motivations to trade Thuney to Chicago is the contract drama surrounding Trey Smith. Smith was slated to be one of the top free agents on this year’s market but the Chiefs squashed that by placing the franchise tag on him during last week’s NFL Scouting Combine.
The move virtually guaranteed that Smith would return to Kansas City next season but didn't solve the issue long-term. Spotrac estimates that Smith could pull in $19.7 million annually as part of his new contract, but the current $23.4 million franchise tag for offensive linemen sent the Chiefs $18.1 million over the salary cap before Thuney was traded on Wednesday.
If the NFL didn’t have a salary cap, keeping both players would be feasible. But we don’t live in that world and the Chiefs had to decide between keeping Smith or Thuney.
Thuney is entering the final year of a five-year, $80 million contract signed in free agency and carried a $26.9 million cap hit for the upcoming season. The price feels worth it considering Thuney is still playing at a high level, ranking seventh among guards with an 80.0 overall Pro Football Focus grade and earning All-Pro honors in back-to-back seasons. But the Chiefs would have also had to extend Thuney in a move that Spotrac estimates could cost $20.3 million per season.
There are ways to stagger the cap hit so that number wouldn’t directly affect the 2025 season. But paying two guards in excess of $20 million annually would have limited the Chiefs' flexibility – even if Patrick Mahomes did his annual contract restructure to create more cap space.
Then there’s the age difference. Thuney hasn’t declined yet, but entering his age-33 season, you have to wonder when the cliff is coming. Dallas Cowboys offensive guard Zack Martin was in a stretch of three straight All-Pro seasons and five selections in the past six years entering this season but saw his overall PFF grade drop from 93.4 in 2021 down to 65.6 last season before deciding to retire.
Meanwhile, Smith is an ascending talent after posting a career-high 75.1 PFF grade and earning his first Pro Bowl selection last season. Entering his age 26 season, it makes more sense to spend the massive chunk of money on a player in the prime of his career than one who may be entering the back nine.
It’s why Chiefs general manager Brett Veach declared keeping Smith a top priority at the combine and backed his words up by using the franchise tag. Those words were validated again when Thuney was traded on Thursday and gave Kansas City’s offensive line a new foundation.