As one of the Bears’ most experienced players, Thuney brings a wealth of knowledge to not only the offensive line, but the entire locker room. The attention to detail, focus and passion he’s sensed from players, coaches, management and staff members since coming to Chicago led to him inking a two-year extension with the Bears in May.
“As the days rolled into weeks, you realize this is a special place, special building, special history here and the people in the building just make it even more special,” Thuney said at the time. “Pretty early on I could just tell this is something I want to be a part of, something that I think would be really cool going forward.”
“We are looking forward to Joe being a member of the Chicago Bears for the years ahead,” general manager Ryan Poles said after Thuney signed his extension. “Joe’s leadership and experience have already positively impacted our organization, and we are fortunate that he will continue to lead our team, on and off the field.”
Thuney joins the Bears having played nine NFL seasons with the Patriots (2016-20) and Chiefs (2021-24), which includes six Super Bowl starts and four Super Bowl wins — two with each team. With New England, the former third-round pick became the first NFL player to start in the Super Bowl in each of his first three seasons in the league (2016-19).
Thuney’s personal accolades are just as impressive. The North Carolina State product earned first-team All-Pro honors each of the past two seasons and Pro Bowl bids each of the last three years.
“He’s extremely humble,” Roushar said. “He’s really smart. He knows exactly how to play the game. He knows how to prepare. He’s really got a great mind from a football standpoint. I feel like he is going to have a phenomenal presence with the group. Not a vocal guy. Very humble but true action. And just my observations of him interacting with our players, I already see a real positive impact.”