From protecting Tom Brady to anchoring championship dynasties, the versatile veteran earns the ultimate praise as an elite winner who transformed the trenches for three different franchises.
Everywhere Joe Thuney goes, he wins.
The New England Patriots drafted the offensive lineman in the third-round from N.C. State. He went on to win two Super Bowls within his first four years in the league. He provided stability playing primarily at left guard and kept future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Tom Brady upright throughout his time in New England.
Thuney then signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021. Although his team changed, he helped the Chiefs produce similar results, winning back-to-back Super Bowls.
In his first year with the Chicago Bears, he was named to the Pro Bowl, received first-team All Pro honors and won the first ever Protector of the Year award.
Thuney's resume speaks for itself, but Brady spoke about his former teammate with Jason and Travis Kelce on the latest episode of "New Heights."
Travis asked Brady if he had any good Thuney stories, and the quarterback started off by saying that he used to called Thuney, "Looney Tunes."
"Joe just came in and he embraced all that he had, you know David Andrews was next to him a few times at center," Brady said. "I mean, he was just the perfect guard. Size, strength, you know, probably didn't have the longest arms, but it didn't matter."
Brady also shared that the Patriots had moved him to tackle for a game -- a position that Thuney had played in college but wasn't his greatest strength. After he received some direct coaching tips from his offensive line coach, Thuney embraced his role.
Much like what Thuney did for the Bears in the Divisional matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. After starting 1,149 snaps at left guard, the veteran played left tackle in the second round of the playoffs.
"I mean, he's just, he was a captain, and he always did the right thing," Brady said. "I mean, there was like no, he showed up. He sweated his a-- off, and he was the consummate pro. And he should be a champion, and he still is. He's just a great player, a great guy."
Travis called Thuney one of his favorite teammates of all time.
New Bears center Garrett Bradbury also expressed similar sentiment about Thuney. The two were teammates at N.C. State.
“It’s awesome," Bradbury said in April about his background with Thuney. "Familiar faces are great. I learned a lot from Joe in college. It’s going to be awesome to get to play with him and just spend time with him."
Everywhere Thuney goes, he wins. The veteran offensive lineman is also beloved by his teammates, with the ultimate stamp of approval coming from arguably the greatest football player of all time.
