Can The Bears Rely On All-Pro Guard Joe Thuney Long-Term?

Joe Thuney figures to be a major upgrade for the Bears. But while the trade for the All-Pro guard seems like a great move, it puts Ryan Poles in the difficult long-term position Brett Veach avoided by holding onto Trey Smith over Thuney in March.

Veach, the Chiefs general manager, used a franchise tag to stop the 25-year-old Smith from reaching the free agent market, which led to the willingness to trade Thuney. Now Poles, the Bears’ GM, must deal with Thuney’s contract, which expires after 2025.

Thuney has played nine NFL seasons and missed only two games to injury. He’s started 167 games, including 21 in the playoffs. It should be an easy decision to sign him to a contract that replaces the five-year, $80 million deal he signed before the 2021 season.

But there’s one major issue: Thuney’s age and the inevitable wear-and-tear on his body.

Thuney is 32 and will play seven games as a 33-year-old this season. He would be viewed as a young man in most environments but not the NFL, where very few guards play effectively into their mid-30s.

Six guards have entered the NFL Hall of Fame since 1985: Joe DeLamielleure, Russ Grimm, John Hannah, Steve Hutchinson, Bruce Matthews and Mike Munchak. While Matthews played a full season for Tennessee as a 40-year-old, that group retired at an average age of 34 years, eight months. Grimm (32), Munchak (33), DeLamielleure (34) and Hannah (34) ended their careers before turning 35.

Zack Martin, the long-time anchor of the Cowboys’ line, is set to retire this season rather than play as a 35-year-old. He was almost as healthy as Thuney through his first nine seasons — and was an All-Pro in six of those seasons — and the Cowboys would only guarantee one season beyond a six-year, $84 million deal he signed before 2018. He played last season at $18 million.

Only three active guards are playing on contracts they received after their 30th birthdays. Detroit’s Graham Glasgow has the biggest multi-year deal (three years, $20 million) among that trio, with Cleveland’s Joel Bitonio (one year, $15 million) having the biggest average annual value. Teams just don’t write long-term deals that cover guards into their mid-30s.

Atlanta’s Chris Lindstrom currently has the biggest contract among guards — a five-year, $102.5 million deal he signed when he was 26. The four next biggest deals for guards (Carolina’s Robert Hunt, Minnesota’s Will Fries, Philadelphia’s Landon Dickerson and Indiana’s Quenton Nelson) were all executed for age 25-27 players.

Conventional wisdom holds that the Bears will extend Thuney’s contract before training camp. But the length of the deal could become a sticking point in negotiations. What if Thuney is willing to try the free agent market next season as a 33-year-old?

Poles, no doubt, is building rosters knowing quarterback Caleb Williams could earn a $50 million-plus contract as soon as 2027. That consideration will figure into his thinking on adding multiple seasons onto Thuney’s contract.

Could new teammate Jonah Jackson, acquired by Poles in a trade with the Rams, become the guard the Bears build around? He is four years younger than Thuney and under contract through ’27. Head coach Ben Johnson worked with him in Detroit, where Jackson was an immediate starter after being selected in the third round of the 2020 draft.

Thuney is expected to participate in this week’s voluntary OTAs at Halas Hall, which will be the first time Johnson puts his rebuilt roster on the field. It will be interesting to hear what he and Poles say about a new contract.