Chiefs To Trade G Joe Thuney To Bears
Minutes after a report indicating the Chiefs were exploring a Joe Thuney trade surfaced, the Bears are expected to swoop in. Chicago is on track to land the All-Pro guard from Kansas City, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.
This will be the second straight day the Bears will have reached a trade agreement involving a guard, with the team agreeing to obtain Jonah Jackson from the Rams on Tuesday. Chicago GM Ryan Poles was in Kansas City when the Chiefs signed Thuney in 2021.
The Bears are rumored to be sending a fourth-round pick to the Chiefs, Rapoport adds. It will be a 2026 fourth exchanged, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. This move will create $16MM in cap space for the Chiefs while leaving them with $10.7MM in dead money. Moving $16MM off the Chiefs’ books will slide them closer to cap compliance, though they entered Wednesday more than $18MM over.
Poles’ team was also mentioned as a potential destination for Trey Smith, but the Chiefs kept the younger of their two Pro Bowl guards via the franchise tag. Chicago will take Thuney, who just completed his age-32 season. One season remains on Thuney’s five-year, $80MM contract. Thuney is due a $15.5MM base salary in 2025; Jackson’s Rams-designed contract calls for a $9MM 2025 base.
Coming off back-to-back first-team All-Pro seasons, Thuney has started all 146 games he has played. The ex-Patriots third-round pick has four Super Bowl rings. A bid for a fifth did not go well, as the Chiefs played Thuney at left tackle during a blowout loss to the Eagles, but he has been one of the league’s best guards for many years.
In addition to Thuney’s two first-team honors, he has two second-team All-Pro accolades on his resume. Kansas City overhauled its O-line after the Buccaneers battered Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LV, which featured the team missing both its starting tackles. The Chiefs acquired Thuney, Smith, Orlando Brown Jr. and Creed Humphrey during the 2021 offseason. That quartet helped them win Super Bowl LVII, with the Thuney-Humphrey-Smith trio being in place for the AFC West superpower’s past two Super Bowl trips as well.
The Chiefs gave Humphrey a center-record extension last year and have right tackle Jawaan Taylor locked in for the 2025 season. Even though the latter has not played especially well in Kansas City, he was one of the 2023 free agent market’s top pieces. That allowed him to a secure a contact that guaranteed his 2025 base salary by March 2024. The Chiefs now have Smith tied to a $23.2MM franchise tag and are pursuing a true left tackle. More work will need to be done to reach cap compliance and carve out spending room, and the team will part with Thuney on the way.
The Bears whiffed on their Nate Davis signing in 2023, and the team has Teven Jenkins days from free agency. Although Jenkins made a push for a Bears extension last year, it appears the former second-round pick will head elsewhere. This trade also comes a year after the Bears acquired Ryan Bates from the Bills, who had previously matched a Bears RFA offer sheet for the veteran guard. With Ben Johnson coming in, his team will use an ex-Lion and a decorated AFC blocker at guard in 2025.
Chicago still has tackle starters Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright under contract, but center Coleman Shelton is back on track for free agency. More work may remain for the Bears, who are throwing resources at protecting Caleb Williams in 2025. Williams took an NFL-high 68 sacks last season. That total ranks in the top five over the past 15 NFL seasons. While the team traded for two pricey guards, the moves have only cost Day 3 picks.
One of the players the Chiefs tried at left tackle before moving Thuney over, Kingsley Suamataia looks likely to have a shot to replace him at LG. A position change may be on tap for the 2024 second-round tackle, Rapoport adds. The Chiefs benched Suamataia in Week 2, with Thuney eventually proving a more reliable option — before Super Bowl LIX — at LT. Three yeras remain on Suamataia’s rookie contract.
Chiefs Discussing Joe Thuney Trade; Bears Among Interested Teams
The Chiefs were one of two teams to use the franchise tag this year, cuffing fifth-year guard Trey Smith. The team has barely a week to move under the salary cap. A route being explored appears to be a trade of their more experienced starting guard.
Kansas City is discussing Joe Thuney in trades, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports. Thuney is heading into the final year of his contract and coming off back-to-back first-team All-Pro seasons. The Bears, who traded for Jonah Jackson on Tuesday, are among the interested teams, Russini adds.
As of Wednesday morning, the Chiefs are more than $18MM over the cap. While the three-time reigning AFC champions will need to prepare to lose some other free agents — Nick Bolton and Justin Reid perhaps among them — they will at least need to move under the cap and carve out some spending room to address other priorities. Left tackle is believed to be a place where the Chiefs are investigating, with Thuney’s final game of the season exposing him as overmatched while moonlighting there.
Smith is going into his age-26 season; Thuney will turn 33 in November. Swapping out an older guard’s salary for their younger guard standout is logical, even if Thuney has proven to be one of the best players at his position. Thuney, who also has two second-team All-Pro nods on his resume, would stand to attract interest. He is entering the final season of a five-year, $80MM contract; no guaranteed money remains on the deal.
Thuney is due a $15.5MM base salary in 2025 and will be set to carry a $26.97MM cap number. An acquiring team could reduce that via an extension, even if Thuney is moving close to his mid-30s. The nine-year veteran has started all 146 games he has played and has collected four Super Bowl rings. Thuney did not start for the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII, and while he endured a tough night against the Eagles last month, he was at his LG spot when the Chiefs beat them to win Super Bowl LVII.
The Bears have reunited Ben Johnson with Jackson, a four-year Lions starter. A move for Thuney would mark a reunion for GM Ryan Poles, who was with the Chiefs when they signed Thuney in 2021. As the Chiefs have paid Creed Humphrey and have Jawaan Taylor locked into a 2025 salary, they have put their most accomplished O-lineman on the trade block. The Bears used Teven Jenkins and Matt Pryor as their primary guards last season. A three-year Bears guard starter, Jenkins appears likely to leave in free agency next week.
Tershawn Wharton Could Have Bigger FA Market Than Expected
Defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton could “exceed expectations in free agency,” according to FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz.
The former undrafted free agent will be looking to cash in after a career year in Kansas City. The market has placed a premium on interior pass-rushers in recent years, so Wharton should be able to negotiate a strong deal this spring.
Wharton was listed by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler as an under-the-radar free agent and the third-best interior rusher in the class behind Osa Odighizuwa and Milton Williams. Now that Odighizuwa is staying in Dallas, Wharton will likely have even more suitors.
Wharton spent the first four years of his career with the Chiefs after making the 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie in 2020. He quickly carved out a role along the defensive line, appearing in every game and playing over 1,000 snaps across his first two seasons. A torn ACL knocked Wharton out for most of 2022, but he rebounded for a full season in 2023. The Chiefs won Super Bowls in both years, and Wharton nearly helped them to another in 2024 while playing the best football of his career. His 6.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss, and 667 snaps in the regular season were all career-highs, and he added two more sacks in the postseason.
That pass-rushing upside will allow Wharton to stand out among his fellow free agents, who typically profile as interior run-stuffers. Wharton will only be 27 years old when next season starts and can already push the pocket and get to opposing quarterbacks. He was surrounded by talent in Kansas City and had significantly less production before 2024, which will likely keep him from breaking into the upper echelon of contracts at his position. He may be best served by a two-year contract from which he can negotiate a higher-paying extension if he matches or improves on his 2024 numbers in 2025.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/3/25
Chiefs Could Be In Veteran RB Market, Will Not Extend Isiah Pacheco Before Season
With Kareem Hunt and Samaje Perine eligible for free agency this month, Isiah Pacheco and Carson Steele are the only running backs the Chiefs have under contract for 2025 (excepting futures deal signee Keaontay Ingram). As such, it would come as no surprise if Kansas City were to explore the veteran RB market, as Dianna Russini of The Athletic writes (subscription required).
The free agent class of running backs is not as robust as it was in 2024, when Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry changed teams and had tremendous impacts on the fortunes of their new clubs. The Vikings’ Aaron Jones is perhaps the top option that could be available, though he and Minnesota may come to terms on a new deal before free agency opens. Other high-profile targets include Nick Chubb, who (understandably) struggled a bit in 2024 after suffering a devastating knee injury early in the 2023 slate, and Najee Harris, who is durable and steady but who lacks explosiveness.
Of course, if Pacheco can recapture the form he displayed over his first two years in the league from 2022-23, the Chiefs would be more than happy to have him atop their depth chart while simply seeking a complementary talent this offseason. Unfortunately, Pacheco suffered a fractured fibula in Week 2 of the 2024 season, and though he was ultimately able to make it back on the field, he failed to hit the 4.0-yards-per-carry mark in any of his final seven games of the campaign (including playoffs).
Hunt and Perine also failed to impress, so KC is interested in looking elsewhere for an established back to provide some insurance at the RB spot. And, while Pacheco is eligible for an extension for the first time, Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline says the Chiefs will not enter into contract talks until after the season gets underway and they can see if Pachecho looks like his old self.
Such a development would certainly go a long way towards the Chiefs’ aim of winning the AFC Championship for the fourth consecutive year. The Rutgers product averaged 4.7 yards per carry over his first 375 regular season totes from 2022-23, and he recorded a 4.3-YPC average across 118 rushes during Kansas City’s Super Bowl runs at the end of both of those seasons.
This year’s draft class of RBs is said to be one of the deepest in years, and after GM Brett Veach & Co. struck gold on Pacheco in the seventh round of the 2022 draft, they could certainly consider reinforcing the depth chart with a rookie even if they add a veteran before then.
Chiefs’ Travis Kelce Will Play In 2025
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is planning to play in 2025, as first reported by ESPN’s Pat McAfee and confirmed by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Kelce’s comments on his podcast after the Super Bowl indicated that he was considering retirement after 12 seasons and 200 games between the regular season and the playoffs. With a $12.5MM roster bonus due on March 15, the Chiefs reportedly set a March 14 deadline for his decision. When asked about Kelce at the Combine, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and general manager Brett Veach both said that they expect him to play this year. (Veach also shot down the idea of a hard deadline for Kelce’s decision.)
McAfee then reached out directly to Kelce, who responded via text that he is “coming back for sure.” The four-time All-Pro promised to get in the best shape of his career in order to “get back to the mountaintop.”
“[I] got a real bad taste in my mouth with how I played in that last game and how I got the guys ready for battle,” Kelce continued. “I can’t go out like that!!!!”
Indeed, Kelce was one of many Chiefs to struggle in the Super Bowl, finishing with just four receptions for 39 yards. The offense was shut out in the first half and only managed six points in the third quarter. They added two more touchdowns in the fourth, but the game was all but over by that point.
With Kelce set to return this year, the Chiefs will likely explore a contract extension to lower his $19.8MM cap hit, especially with Trey Smith now on the franchise tag. Such an agreement wouldn’t ensure that Kelce will play beyond the 2025 season; rather, it would allow the Chiefs to prorate more of his cap burden into the future.
For now, though, Kelce (and Smith) will be playing for the Chiefs in 2025 as they vie for their fourth Super Bowl in five years.
Chiefs Place Franchise Tag On Trey Smith
The NFL’s top pending free agent amongst offensive linemen will not reach the market. The Chiefs plan to use the franchise tag on guard Trey Smith, as first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The move is now official, per a team announcement.
The franchise tag groups all offensive linemen together, something which often makes using it on interior blockers a cumbersome endeavor for teams. Smith has long been known to be a key priority for Kansas City, though, and this move will ensure he remains with the team for at least one more season. If no long-term deal is worked out, the Pro Bowler will earn $23.4MM next year.
The top of the guard market reached $21MM per season when Landon Dickerson inked an Eagles extension last year. Smith was in position to surpass that figure on a multi-year pact of his own in the event he reached free agency, something which at one point seemed likely given the report from last week which stated no franchise or even transition tag was expected in this case. Even if he were to play out the one-year tag in 2025, the 25-year-old would break the record for guard compensation given its value.
On Wednesday, it was learned the Chiefs were preparing a long-term Smith extension. Such a pact – should one be worked out – will represent a massive commitment up front on the team’s part, something which has already been witnessed by the free agent deals for left guard Joe Thuney and the extension for center Creed Humphrey. The latter reset his position’s market by a wide margin in August with a four-year extension averaging $18MM per season. If things go according to plan for Kansas City, the team will have the league’s highest-paid center as well as its top earner amongst guards playing alongside each other for years to come.
The tackle positions remain an issue for the Chiefs, as the Super Bowl illustrated. Smith has been a consistent presence along the interior, though, ranking between 10th and 15th in terms of PFF evaluation for guards in each of his four seasons. The Tennessee product will of course be expected on to remain a top blocker either on the tag or a new deal moving forward. Having missed only one game so far, Smith’s durability will no doubt help his case for an extension.
A number of teams in better cap shape than the Chiefs would have been in position to make a strong push for Smith on the open market; former Chiefs exec Ryan Poles and the Bears in particular may have been a suitor to watch on that front. A tag-and-trade could still be in order in the event the Chiefs cannot work out a deal (having taken that route with cornerback L’Jarius Sneed last year), but for now Smith is on track to play for the AFC champions once again.
A left tackle addition is a priority for Kansas City this offseason, so more developments can be expected up front in the near future. Regardless of what takes place on that front, though, Smith is in line to play out at least one more campaign with the team. Presuming no trade occurs, he and the Chiefs will now have until mid-July to work out a long-term extension.
Coaching Notes: Chargers, Saints, Sirmon, Wilber, Eagles, Vikings, Chiefs, Steelers
Jim Harbaugh now has former Michigan offensive and defensive coordinators on his staff. A year after bringing Jesse Minter with him, the Chargers HC is hiring Kirk Campbell from Ann Arbor, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. Campbell moved up to Wolverines OC following Harbaugh’s exit but was in place as QBs coach during the team’s unbeaten national championship-winning season. Campbell, 38, moved up the ranks quickly, rising from offensive assistant in 2022 to OC two years later. Serving as Old Dominion’s OC before heading to Michigan, Campbell will be in place as a Chargers offensive assistant in 2025.
The Bolts have also promoted Dylan Roney to edge rushers coach, CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz adds. Roney, 29, had joined Minter in following Harbaugh to Los Angeles last year, working as a defensive assistant. He was previously in place as a Michigan graduate assistant.
Here is the latest from the coaching ranks:
- The last team to make an HC hire this year, the Saints continue to fill out Kellen Moore‘s staff. New Orleans is hiring two former NFL linebackers. They are adding Cal defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon as its linebackers coach, ESPN.com’s Pete Thamel tweets. Sirmon played seven seasons with the Titans, starting for the final four (2003-06). He had been the Golden Bears’ DC for the past six years. This will be the former NFLer’s first coaching job in the league. Another retired linebacker, Kyle Wilber, will join Moore as Saints assistant special teams coach, NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill tweets. Wilber was a Moore teammate in Dallas, playing with the Cowboys from 2012-17; he comes over after two years on the Packers’ staff.
- Elsewhere on New Orleans’ staff, the team is hiring Bo Davis to be its D-line coach, NOLA.com’s Luke Johnson tweets. This is a local hire, as Davis was previously in place as LSU’s D-line coach. Davis previously spent time on the Dolphins and Lions’ staffs. They are adding Texas assistant Terry Joseph to be their defensive pass-game coordinator, per Pelissero. Terry Joseph is the younger brother of Broncos DC Vance Joseph; he had been the Longhorns’ pass-game coordinator for four seasons.
- Needing a QBs coach because the Saints poached theirs (Doug Nussmeier) for OC, the Eagles interviewed Syracuse QBs coach Nunzio Campanile, per 247Sports.com. Campanile had previously served as interim HC and OC at Rutgers; he spent the past two years at Syracuse, being retained despite the Orange changing HCs in 2024. The Eagles are also are bringing back a familiar face, hiring Greg Austin, according to 94WIP’s Eliot Shorr-Parks. Austin was the team’s assistant O-line coach under Chip Kelly from 2013-15. After some time in the college ranks, Austin worked in a quality-control role on Doug Pederson‘s Jaguars staff. He will likely work under Jeff Stoutland, Shorr-Parks adds.
- Keith Carter has resurfaced in Minnesota. The Vikings hired the former Jets and Titans offensive line coach as their assistant O-line coach. An NFL assistant for the past nine years, Carter was fired from his post as Titans O-line coach after the 2022 season. He resurfaced under Nathaniel Hackett in New York in 2023.
- The Chiefs are also greenlighting a reunion, rehiring Matt House. Formerly the Chiefs’ linebackers coach form 2019-21, House is now in place as a senior defensive assistant with Kansas City. The veteran staffer had been working as the Jaguars’ ILBs coach, having served as LSU’s DC during the two years prior. He also served as DC at Kentucky, Pitt and Florida International over the past decade. The Chiefs also hired Chris Orr as a defensive quality control coach.
- After Aaron Curry joined the Jets’ staff, the Steelers have replaced him as ILBs coach. They brought in Scott McCurley to fill the job. A Western Pennsylvania native, McCourley was the Cowboys’ linebackers coach throughout Mike McCarthy‘s tenure. He previously spent 13 years under McCarthy in Green Bay, working his way up to Packers LBs coach.
Long-Term Deal Coming For RG Trey Smith In Kansas City?
An earlier report today discussed how, despite the difficulty the Chiefs would face in adding another eight-figure-per-year deal to their ledger, general manager Brett Veach felt “pretty optimistic” about extending right guard Trey Smith to a long-term deal. An even more recent report from Nate Taylor of The Athletic tell us that there’s “growing optimism” that Kansas City will sign Smith to a five-year deal soon. 
Taylor dropped the news on the Only Weird Games podcast, changing the perspective a bit on the Chiefs’ chances to extend their impressive young guard. Depending on the franchise tag statuses of quarterback Sam Darnold and wide receiver Tee Higgins, Smith has a chance to land one of the largest contracts (per annual average value) in free agency this offseason.
Coming into 2025, the Chiefs already have Patrick Mahomes ($45MM per year), Chris Jones ($31.75MM), Jawaan Taylor ($20MM), Creed Humphrey ($18MM), Joe Thuney ($16MM), and potentially Travis Kelce ($17.13MM) on deals averaging eight figures per year. With three of those big salaries already coming along the offensive line and all but one on the offensive side of the ball, it seemed relatively unlikely that we would see Kansas City dedicate yet another big-money, long-term deal to that particular area of the team. Nevertheless, Taylor seems to be indicating that it’s more likely than we presumed.
Since getting drafted in the sixth round in 2021, Smith has consistently been a top-15 guard in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), grading out as high as the 10th-best guard in the league last year. It took him until this year to be recognized for those efforts, as he earned his first career Pro Bowl invite in 2024, though two Super Bowl rings are probably decent consolation.
We have heard plenty about the Smith situation over the past several months. The Bears have been linked to reuniting him with Ryan Poles, who was on the Chiefs’ staff when they drafted Smith. The Chiefs are not expected to tag the guard, as the position is rarely tagged, due to all offensive linemen being grouped together under the tag formula, meaning that tackles drive up the tag prices for guards. The team will have until 11am CT on March 10 to negotiate exclusively with Smith’s camp. Considering Smith has made it this far, it would take a monster offer to keep him from speaking with other teams.
While the “growing optimism” is surely encouraging, the Chiefs have work to do. It sounds like the groundwork is being laid to establish Smith as the right guard of the future in Kansas City, but they have not crossed the finish line yet. The upcoming NFL Scouting Combine serves as an unofficial tampering period, and the Pro Bowl blocker will probably learn more about who is interested this week while getting an idea of his value. A deal that eclipses Landon Dickerson‘s guard-record extension (four years, $84MM) should be expected, as the cap is again spiking by more than $20MM, and Smith will have the leverage of a tantalizing open market that is sure to reward him handsomely.
Regardless, it seems that things are trending in the right direction for Kansas City to hold on to their talented, consistent, young guard. The sooner they can push this deal across the finish line, the better for the team. Either way, Smith is fast on his way to securing the big bucks and solidifying himself as a household name in the NFL.
Chiefs In Talks With Trey Smith, Looking Into LT Options
Already carrying three eight-figure-per-year contracts along their offensive front, the Chiefs will have a difficult time re-signing Trey Smith. The right guard may well, depending on the franchise tag statuses of Tee Higgins and Sam Darnold, secure the top AAV among free agents this year.
While the Chiefs have been linked to losing Smith soon, GM Brett Veach will not simply let the four-year starter hit the market without dialogue. The three-time reigning AFC champions are in talks with Smith and will move forward with those this week at the Combine. The ninth-year GM said (via KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson) he is “pretty optimistic” about the situation.
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We have heard plenty about the Smith situation over the past several months. The Bears have been linked to reuniting him with Ryan Poles, who was on the Chiefs’ staff when they drafted Smith in Round 6, while the Chiefs are not expected to tag the guard. This position is rarely tagged, due to all O-linemen being grouped together under the tag formula, and the Chiefs will have until 11am CT on March 10 to negotiate exclusively with Smith’s camp.
Considering Smith has made it this far, it would take a monster offer to keep him from speaking with other teams. Of course, the Combine does serve as the unofficial tampering period. The Pro Bowl blocker will probably learn more about who is interested this week. A deal that eclipses Landon Dickerson‘s guard-record extension (four years, $84MM) should be expected, as the cap is again spiking by more than $20MM and Smith will have the advantage of being on the open market soon.
The Chiefs have left guard Joe Thuney, center Creed Humphrey and, for better or worse, right tackle Jawaan Taylor tied to lucrative deals. Taylor’s 2025 salary ($19.5MM) is guaranteed thanks to a rolling structure that locked in his 2025 money as of March 2024. While Thuney is nearing the end of his career, he is the most decorated Kansas City O-lineman presently, earning four All-Pro nods — including a first-team placement last season — on his resume. Thuney, however, appears set to return to his best position soon.
Andy Reid stopped short of confirming Kansas City’s next left tackle starter was on the roster, but the three-time Super Bowl winner said (via Herbie Teope of the KC Sports Network) that is a position the Chiefs are looking into. The Chiefs could not count on the three players they initially tried at LT — Kingsley Suamataia, Wanya Morris, D.J. Humphries — which led to kicking Thuney outside. That plan worked fairly well, helping the team to another AFC title, but the Eagles exposed it in Super Bowl LIX.
Fortunately for the Chiefs, a few options will be available. Veterans Ronnie Stanley and Cam Robinson are unsigned, while a younger option — two-year Rams starter Alaric Jackson — is also poised to hit the market. Tyron Smith is again available as well, though the decorated ex-Cowboy is a significant injury risk. The Chiefs are projected to sit barely $7MM under the cap, so they will have some work to do between now and the cap-compliance deadline (March 12) before they determine their free agency budget.
While it would be premature to give up on Suamataia as a starter, given his second-round status, the Chiefs may want at least an insurance option in the Donovan Smith mold rather than pit the BYU product against Morris once again.