Joseph Thuney ( ; born November 18, 1992) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

NC State Wolfpack The NC State Wolfpack is the nickname of the athletic teams representing North Carolina State University. The Wolfpack competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I (NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subd ...

. He was selected by the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

in the third round (78th overall selection) in the

2016 NFL draft The 2016 NFL draft was the 81st annual draft of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...

Early life

His parents Mike and Beth Thuney raised him and their other three children, Monica, Eric and Megan in

Centerville, Ohio Centerville is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States. A core suburb of Metro Dayton, its population was 24,240 as of the 2020 census. History Following the signing of the Treaty of Greenville, which opened the Northwest Territory to ...

. There Thuney attended Incarnation Catholic School before becoming a member of two D4 state championship teams at

Archbishop Alter High School Archbishop Alter High School, also known as Alter High School, is a Catholic high school in Kettering, Ohio, United States. It is operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati and is named after Archbishop Karl Joseph Alter. History ...

. As a Senior he was Greater Catholic League Lineman of the Year and president of his senior class. He later earned

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...

from

Kelley School of Business The Kelley School of Business (KSB) is an undergraduate and graduate business school for Indiana University Bloomington and Indiana University Indianapolis. As of 2022, approximately 13,538 full-time undergraduate and graduate students are enr ...

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

College career

Thuney played sparingly at

NC State North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina sy ...

during his freshman year. He came into his

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Sports * Redshirt (college sports) Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically ...

sophomore year as the projected starting

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

but ended up starting the season opener at

right tackle A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a tackle played on both offense and Defensive tackle, defense. In the modern system of ...

, the second game at right guard and the last 10 games at left tackle. In his junior year he started at

left guard In American football, a guard (G), otherwise known as an offensive guard (OG), is an offensive line player who lines up between the center and the tackles. Like other offensive line positions, guards are used primarily for blocking. Right ...

and at left tackle his senior year. He became the first

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...

for NC State to be named an

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

since

Jim Ritcher James Alexander Ritcher (born May 21, 1958) is an American former professional football player who was a guard for 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Ritcher played college football for the NC State Wolfpack, earning All-Ameri ...

in 1979. He was a finalist for the Campbell Trophy, which rewards the best combination of academics, community service, and performance on the field, and he graduated from NC State

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

in just three years. NFL reporter Matt Verderame claims that when Thuney took the Wonderlic Personnel Test he avoided answering many of the questions so he would not come off as too smart.

Professional career

New England Patriots

Thuney was selected by the Patriots in the third round of the

with the 78th overall selection, 13 picks before the Patriots drafted his teammate, quarterback

Jacoby Brissett Jacoby JaJuan Brissett (born December 11, 1992) is an American professional football quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). Following a stint with the Florida Gators, he played college football for the NC Sta ...

. Thuney won the starting left guard spot to start the season and remained the starter for all 16 regular-season games; according to

Pro-Football-Reference.com Pro Football Reference (PFR) is an online statistics database for professional American football maintained by Sports Reference. The site provides career statistics for players, teams, and games, as well as records and NFL draft history. PFR was ...

, he played the highest number of snaps of any Patriot in 2016. He also started all three postseason games. On February 5, 2017, Thuney was part of the Patriots team that won

Super Bowl LI Super Bowl LI was an American football game played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017, to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2016 NFL season, 2016 season. The American Football Confe ...

. In the game, the Patriots defeated the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

by a score of 34–28 in overtime. The

PFWA The Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA), sometimes known as Pro Football Writers Association, is an organization that purports to be " heofficial voice of pro football writers, promoting and fighting for access to NFL personnel to best serve ...

named Thuney to its 2016 All-Rookie Team at guard. Thuney made it to his second straight

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...

when the Patriots defeated the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

in the

AFC Championship Game The AFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the American Football Conference (AFC) and one of the two semifinal NFL playoffs, playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football lea ...

. The Patriots failed to repeat as Super Bowl champions when they lost 41–33 to the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

. Thuney once again started all 16 games at left guard for the Patriots in 2018, and for the third time in his three-year career, the Patriots made it to the Super Bowl. According to Mike Reiss of

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

, that makes Thuney the first player in NFL history to start in the Super Bowl in each of his first three seasons. The Patriots defeated the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

13–3 to win their second

in three years. Thuney played every offensive snap for the team and helped contain Defensive Player of the Year

Aaron Donald Aaron Charles Donald (born May 23, 1991) is an American former professional football defensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons with the St. Louis / Los Angeles Rams franchise. He is considered one of the gr ...

. The Patriots placed the

franchise tag In the National Football League (NFL), the franchise tag is a designation a team may apply to a player scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. The tag binds the player to the team for one year if certain conditions are met. Each team has on ...

on Thuney on March 16, 2020. He signed the franchise tag on March 20, 2020. In 2020, with David Andrews out on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

, Thuney was pressed into service at

for the Patriots' Week 3 game against the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

Kansas City Chiefs

Thuney signed a five-year, $80 million contract with the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

on March 18, 2021. Thuney continued to play left guard for the Chiefs during the

2022 NFL season The 2022 NFL season was the 103rd season of the National Football League (NFL). The season began on September 8, 2022, with the defending Super Bowl LVI champion 2022 Los Angeles Rams season, Los Angeles Rams falling to 2022 Buffalo Bills sea ...

. The Chiefs would go on to

Super Bowl LVII Super Bowl LVII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2022 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Kansas City Chiefs defeated the National Football Confere ...

where Thuney helped to hold the

defense in check, as the offensive line gave up zero sacks and the Chiefs defeated the Eagles 38–35. This was his third

Super Bowl ring The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the team members of the winning team of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl ring offers a collectible memento for the actual players and t ...

and first with the Chiefs. In 2023, Thuney was named First-team

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

. In the Divisional Round against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

, Thuney had a pectoral injury that sidelined him for the rest of the playoffs. Without Thuney, the Chiefs won

Super Bowl LVIII Super Bowl LVIII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2023 NFL season, 2023 season. A rematch of Super Bowl LIV four years prior, the American Football Conference (AFC) 20 ...

25–22 against the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

to give Thuney his fourth Super Bowl championship. On July 17, 2024, Thuney was placed on the Active/ Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. He was activated off of the list on July 28, 2024. In 2024, Thuney helped the Chiefs reach

Super Bowl LIX Super Bowl LIX was an American football championship game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2024 NFL season, 2024 season. In a rematch of Super Bowl LVII two years prior, the National Football Conf ...

but the team lost 40-22 to the Eagles.

Chicago Bears

On March 12, 2025, Thuney was traded to the

in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the

2026 NFL draft The 2026 NFL draft will be the 91st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players. The event is scheduled to be held in Pittsburgh on April 23–25. Host city Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was announce ...

. On May 20, Thuney signed a two-year, $35 million contract with Chicago that runs through the 2027 season.

Regular season statistics

References

External links

Chicago Bears bio

North Carolina State Wolfpack bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thuney, Joe 1992 births Living people American football offensive linemen NC State Wolfpack football players New England Patriots players Kansas City Chiefs players People from Centerville, Ohio Players of American football from Ohio American Conference Pro Bowl players Chicago Bears players Kelley School of Business alumni Indiana University Bloomington alumni