Left guard Joe Thuney signed his two-year contract extension Wednesday morning before setting out to practice. Thuney was otherwise entering the final year of his contract.
He said committing to the Bears felt familiar — and that’s a compliment, given that he’s won Super Bowls with the Patriots and Chiefs.
“Everyone’s pulling in the same direction,” said Thuney, whom the Bears traded for in March. “Everybody’s really determined to keep working and improving, and it’s kind of what I’m used to and it felt right. And then, you know, Chicago is a city, a franchise with, you know, so much history.”
The money helps, too — the extension means he’ll make $33.5 guaranteed over the next two seasons.
Capture the flag
One day after the NFL approved their players participating in flag football in the 2028 Olympics, safety Kevin Byard was asked if he wanted to play. The 31-year-old said he would have been first in line five years ago, when he had fewer family responsibilities.
“I think for any athlete to be able to have the opportunity to go and get a gold medal for our country I think that’s an enormous opportunity and it’s a blessing,” he said. “Would I want to play? Probably not.”
He knows who might be: Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.
“I’m not sure he’s going to want to do it but I think Caleb would be an excellent flag football team quarterback,” Byard said. “Especially with just being the broken plays, being able to scramble around, doing those type of things.”
Participation report
The Bears practiced without their top two picks: tight end Colston Loveland, who’s recovering from shoulder surgery, and receiver Luther Burden, who Johnson said was dealing with a soft tissue injury suffered during rookie minicamp.
Starters not in attendance during the voluntary practice Wednesday were cornerback Kyler Gordon, who just signed a contract extension; left tackle Braxton Jones, who’s recovering from ankle surgery; and nose tackle Andrew Billings., who tore his pec last year. Others outs included rookie cornerback Zah Frazier, safety Elijah Hicks, defensive tackle Zacch Pickens, cornerback Terell Smith, running back Ian Wheeler, linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga and guard Ryan Bates.