Jul 22, 2025; St. Joseph, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid speaks to media after training camp at Missouri Western State University. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Former Chief Will Return to Arrowhead Before Regular Season

Originally posted on Kansas City Chiefs on SI
By Dominic Minchella | Last updated Aug 20, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Kansas City Chiefs are coming up on the regular season, which means there is one final preseason game to play before they head to Sao Paulo, Brazil, to take on their AFC West division rivals, the Los Angeles Chargers, to get their 2025 campaign underway.

The offseason for the Chiefs has been an eventful one. Coming off a Super Bowl LIX defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Chiefs had to make some changes to their roster if they wanted another crack at hoisting up the Lombardi Trophy at season's end. Some moves were easy, and some were hard.

One of the more difficult decisions the franchise had to make was trading away veteran guard Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears this offseason. In return for Thuney, the Chiefs received a 2026 fourth-round pick to save some cash flow for their eventual contract extensions.

Now that Thuney is in Chicago, he will play one more preseason game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, only this time he will be a member of the opposing offensive line. Kay Adams asked the new Bears head coach, Ben Johnson, if the starters would hit the field against Kansas City on Tuesday.

"Yep, we'll go ahead and play (the starters). We'll see how long it is, we're going to get through a couple of days here at practice and determine for how long. But we need to go through this," Johnson said.

Thuney's Transformation

While with the Chiefs, Thuney brought his game to a whole new level. Beginning his career as a member of the New England Patriots, Thuney showcased how valuable a player he could be in the future, but in Kansas City, he proved that value.

From 2021 to 2024, Thuney collected three Pro Bowl nods and two All-Pro nods. His impact will be felt on the Chiefs' offensive line regardless of him donning new threads this season. Thuney was also a two-time Super Bowl champion as a member of the Chiefs organization.

Seeing Thuney back at Arrowhead will surely give the Chiefs Kingdom something to cheer about before the game starts, but once that whistle blows, he's the enemy. The Bears don't take on the Chiefs in the regular season, so Thuney had better soak this all up for what it's worth.

This article first appeared on Kansas City Chiefs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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