LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The Chicago Bears have moved quickly to reward their own when possible, signing defensive back Kyler Gordon and linebacker T.J. Edwards to contract extensions before the 2025 NFL Draft.

There’s another one on the list. Bears general manager Ryan Poles said Joe Thuney might be next.

RELATED CONTENT

• Bears coach Ben Johnson given hero’s welcome throwing first pitch at Cubs game
• NFL mock draft 2025: Bears pick predictions in every round
• How Ryan Poles, Ben Johnson can fill biggest needs in 2025 NFL Draft
• NFL draft preview 2025: Why Bears should pick edge rusher at No. 10

The Bears traded a 2026 fourth-round draft pick for the two-time All-Pro guard, who has just one year left on a contract he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. He’ll make $16 million in 2025 and is scheduled to be a free agent after that.

Poles certainly wants more than one year out of his trade acquisition, so it wasn’t a huge shock when he said Tuesday that he’d like to work out a new deal.

“Yeah,” Poles said in his pre-draft press conference at Halas Hall. “That’s definitely, I would say, one of the priorities moving forward.”

Both Gordon and Edwards said their contract talks were easy and straight forward. A new Thuney deal might be a bit more complicated, though. The interior lineman already is 32 years old and commands an eight-figure annual salary.

The length and structure of the deal could be more complicated to work out because of those factors, so it might slow the process down a little bit. As will Thuney’s performance coming off consecutive All-Pro seasons and the NFL’s guard market going way up after years of it being a lesser-paid position.

The Bears did alter Jonah Jackson’s contract shortly after trading for him, so keeping Thuney around for more than one year should get done at some point down the line. The Bears don’t have tons of salary-cap space this season, but that shouldn’t prevent a pact, considering he’s already taking up such a large chunk.