The Kansas City Chiefs didn't just trade a darn good offensive lineman on Wednesday.
The Chiefs traded their team MVP.
KC, still licking its wounds as we are just a few weeks removed from the 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 59, are moving on, and have traded stellar Patrick Mahomes protector Joe Thuney.
In a salary cap era, these things happen, of course. The Chiefs are swapping their All-Pro guard to the Chicago Bears, in exchange for just a 2026 fourth-round pick.
Why? As maddening as it is for fans, it's all about trying to fit 53 guys into a budget. In the case of Thuney, Kansas City is saving about $16 million on the trade of the standout, who has one year left on his contract at a base level of $15.5 million.
For Chicago, that represents a steal.
But for the Chiefs? The trade - which will not be made official until the start of the new league year on Wednesday, March 12 - represents a turning of the page and a difficult transition ...
Because Thuney, 32, was just named the team's MVP for the 2024 season.
Think about it: The winner of four Super Bowls over the course of his career, Thuney, a third-round NFL Draft pick out of North Carolina State, is playing on a star-studded Chiefs team featuring the likes of Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Chris Jones ...
And the guy who has made four All-Pro teams and three Pro Bowls was considered the best of the bunch.
In Chicago, there is cap room and a rookie QB in Caleb Williams, and with the Bears having hired Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to be their head coach?
They are building.
In Kansas City, it's a sad transaction for fans but it's about rebuilding. Offensive lineman Trey Smith, who is now on the franchise tag, will be the centerpiece of the offensive line going forward. And he's valuable.
But the guy who was "most valuable'' is now gone.
