Joe Thuney’s first season with the Bears was transformative for both the offensive line and the franchise — and it culminated with historic recognition on the league’s biggest stage.
Joe Thuney’s 2025 Snapshot
OTHER 2025 CHICAGO BEARS SNAPSHOTS:
During NFL Honors ceremonies before the Super Bowl, Joe Thuney was named the NFL’s first-ever Protector of the Year, an award created to spotlight offensive linemen through a peer-driven evaluation process. The inaugural honor was voted on by a selection committee of NFL legends (LeCharles Bentley, Jason Kelce, Shaun O’Hara, Orlando Pace, Will Shields, and Andrew Whitworth) and was based strictly on on-field performance and impact, elevating a position group long underrepresented in traditional awards.
“It’s just incredible. I’m very humbled to even be mentioned amongst guys that are on the ballot,” Thuney said at the event. “I’m not a one-man operation. There are so many people behind the scenes — parents, family, friends, teammates, coaches, everyone in the building. So it’s just a big operation, and I’m very thankful.”
That humility mirrored his impact in Chicago. In his first year with the Bears, Thuney was voted a team captain, named AP First-Team All-Pro at left guard, and selected to the Pro Bowl. Across his 10-year NFL career, he now owns five All-Pro selections, four Pro Bowl nods, six Super Bowl starts, and four championships, credentials built alongside quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes, and now extended into a new chapter with Chicago.
David Banks-Imagn ImagesThuney’s arrival anchored a retooled offensive line that helped propel the Bears to an 11-6 record, an NFC North title, and the franchise’s first postseason win since 2010. The unit he stabilized played a central role in Chicago, leading the league with just 11 giveaways, producing the third-best rushing offense, becoming the NFL’s only team with multiple running backs surpassing 750 rushing yards, and allowing the third-fewest sacks in football. Most tellingly, the Bears cut their sack total from 68 in 2024 to just 24 in 2025 (a 64.7 percent reduction) with Thuney as the linchpin of that turnaround.
Individually, Thuney remained elite. He led all guards with an 87.7 PFF pass-blocking grade, allowed zero sacks, logged 1,094 offensive snaps (second-most at the position), and was flagged just twice all season. His 77.8 overall PFF grade ranked among the league’s best, checking in as the seventh-best among guards. But his influence extended beyond numbers.
By the Numbers
Sacks Allowed: 0 QB Hits Allowed: 1 Hurries: 14 Pass Blocking Efficiency (PFF): 98.8% Pass Block Win Rate (ESPN): 98% (2nd best among iOL) PFF Overall: 77.8 (5th) PFF Pass Blocking: 87.7 (1st) PFF Run Blocking: 71.0 (19th)Joe Thuney’s Contract Status
(Contract details and figures are courtesy of Over The Cap)
Thuney is entering the first year of a two-year contract extension he signed back in May. The veteran offensive lineman’s cap hit in his first season with the Bears was just $8 million, but that will balloon to $21.5 million in 2026 and 2027, respectively.
A restructure for Thuney is possible, but moving money into his age-35-and-beyond season comes with some risk. Chicago could move on from Thuney after the 2026 season and clear $16.5 million in cap space, if the contract remains intact through this offseason.
Joe Thuney celebrates while leaving the field after the Bears win against the Commanders at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn ImagesTurning the Page
Joe Thuney was the stabilizing force for a line that featured four new starters, elevating everyone around him, including rookie left tackle Ozzy Trapilo to his left and center Drew Dalman to his right, and raising both the floor and ceiling of the offense.
HOW JOE THUNEY SET A NEW STANDARD AT HALAS HALL
That stability played a major role in quarterback Caleb Williams’ historic sophomore season, as he set a Bears single-season passing record with 3,942 yards and finished with a 27-to-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Williams’ late-game heroics (seven wins when trailing in the final two minutes, the most by any NFL team since at least 1970) were made possible by the pocket Thuney helped construct.
MORE: What Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson Had to Say About Joe Thuney
Beyond the accolades, Thuney’s legacy in 2025 was defined by tone-setting leadership. He helped mold a cohesive offensive line room alongside Drew Dalman, Jonah Jackson, and Darnell Wright, a group that never wavered despite injuries and lineup changes at left tackle. In doing so, Thuney didn’t just protect the quarterback; he became the standard for what the Bears’ rebuilt offense could be.
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