If there is one trade that might be overlooked, but should define the Ryan Poles era as general manager of the Chicago Bears, it's the trade he made last offseason for left guard Joe Thuney.
During the 2025 offseason, the Bears sent a 2026 fourth-round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs to acquire Thuney. The end results of that deal have been finalized and it's even more lopsided than anyone could have imagined.
Chicago ended up acquiring the NFL's 2025 Protector of the Year after being selected to the Pro Bowl and earning first-team All-Pro honors. As for Kansas City, they never used the pick, as it was traded to the New England Patriots and then to the Buffalo Bills, who selected UConn wide receiver Skyler Bell with the 125th overall pick.
Bears absolutely fleeced the Chiefs in the Joe Thuney deal
Really, from the moment that trade was made, everyone knew that the Bears got the better end of the deal. It was an odd trade for the Chiefs as it was clearly a way for them to clear up cap space, but they let go of one of the NFL's best and most consistent offensive linemen.
Some Bears fans were concerned that Thuney might lose a step or two since he is in his 30s and has 10 years of playing time under his belt. That didn't happen; in fact, he might have had the best season of his career, and he had four years in his NFL tenure when he won Super Bowls.
After allowing 68 sacks in 2024, the Bears knew last offseason that they had to fix the offensive line to better protect quarterback Caleb Williams. Thuney helped drastically improve that, allowing just 24 sacks last year.
Read more: Grading every Chicago Bears selection from imperative 2026 NFL Draft
There is no more of a clear winner than the Bears were in the Thuney trade.