👋 Good morning!

Let me be the first to congratulate Team USA on their gold medal in flag football at the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Yep, that’s right. Not only will flag football be an Olympic sport, but the field will include NFL players thanks to a 32-0 vote from NFL owners at the Spring League Meeting yesterday.

Six countries, ten players per team, playing five-on-five…

Who’ll represent the stars and stripes on football’s very own Dream Team? I’ve got a feeling Jaylon Johnson will be all over this.

– Patrick Norton

Bears extend Joe Thuney

Joe Thuney is sticking around long term. The Bears’ new offensive guard has agreed to a two-year extension that runs through 2027, agent Mike McCartney announced yesterday.

• The Bears acquired Thuney from the Kansas City Chiefs in a deal that became official with the start of the new league year on March 12. In return for the All-Pro Super Bowl champion, the Bears sent their 2026 fourth-round pick back to the Chiefs.
   

• Thuney, 32, had one year remaining on a five-year deal he signed with the Chiefs in 2021, with an expected cap hit of $16 million in 2025. However, the extension alters the cap hit for this season, lessening the blow to $8 million, per Brad Biggs.
   

• The extension puts Thuney under contract for the next three seasons, valued at $51 million with $33.5 million fully guaranteed. It also aligns Thuney’s contract duration with center Drew Dalman and guard Jonah Jackson, both of whom were acquired by the Bears earlier this offseason.

So, what happens with that extra $8 million this season?

For starters, the Bears have signed five of their eight draft picks, leaving only their three second-rounders without agreed-upon deals. Thuney’s extension now allows the Bears to comfortably get Luther Burden III, Ozzy Trapilo, and Shemar Turner under contract.

It also gives the Bears some flexibility should they want to make any splashes, major or minor. Maybe it frees up the space to bring on an available running back like Nick Chubb.

Some might even wonder if this could be the first in a flurry of moves to land Trey Hendrickson. Not to rain on anybody’s parade, but there are a few reasons why I don’t foresee that happening.

One big one? Thuney’s deal puts the Bears firmly in an unfamiliar spot under Ryan Poles: trying to compete while balancing the checkbook.

Things get a bit hairy against the cap in 2026, which will require some maneuvering, whether that means restructuring deals and pushing dead money down the road, or making tough roster decisions. That’s without Hendrickson and his looming mammoth extension.

My advice? Focus on the second-rounders and dream…small. After all, teams like to have a “break in case of emergency” fund throughout the regular season. This helps.

GO DEEPER: The CHGO Bears Podcast on Thuney’s extension and the beginning of OTAs.

Quick Hits

OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION: Eleven different Cubs registered a hit in their 14-1 stomping of the Marlins last night. Even more impressive? The fact that the Cubs scored a bunch of runs in the 6th inning again.

Their last three 6th innings?

• Tuesday vs. MIA » 8 runs

• Monday vs. MIA » 4 runs

• Sunday vs. CWS » 3 runs

WELCOME TO CHICAGO: Adrian Houser woke up yesterday morning a free agent. The White Sox didn’t make the starting pitcher’s deal official until the afternoon. Then, after a 1.5-hour rain delay, Houser got the start for the Sox.

How’d he do? Just a casual scoreless two-hit six-inning outing against the Mariners. After the game, Houser told reporters: “All things considered, I feel like it was a pretty good day.”

Yep, I’d say so, Adrian.

HONORED OR SNUBBED? Congratulations to Matas Buzelis, who received 2024-25 NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors on Tuesday. The Bulls’ rookie received 15 First Team votes.

Buzelis fell victim to the Bulls’ early-season struggles but played well enough to warrant First Team consideration down the stretch, propelling the Bulls to the Play-In.

After the trade deadline, Buzelis blossomed, averaging 13 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.

Beverly native and sitcom legend George Wendt died on Tuesday. Best known as Norm Peterson on Cheers, Wendt cemented his legacy in Chicago when he appeared as Bob Swerski, Bill’s brother (who’s still recovering from that dreadful heart attack), in Saturday Night Live’s recurring “Bill Swerski’s Super Fans” sketch. Wendt was 76.

Daaa Bears.

Today!

⚾️ Cubs @ Marlins
12:10 on Marquee

📺 CHGO Bulls
12:30 on YouTube

⚾️ White Sox vs. Mariners
1:10 on CHSN

📺 CHGO Blackhawks
2:00 on YouTube

📺 CHGO Cubs
POSTGAME on CHGO Cubs YT

📺 CHGO White Sox
POSTGAME on YouTube

📺 CHGO Bears
4:00 on YouTube

Talk to you tomorrow!