Tasked with some tough decisions last offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs prioritized guard Trey Smith and traded away veteran offensive lineman Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears for a future pick, as they looked to shed salary.
Kansas
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LAWRENCE — Both the Kansas football team and the Jayhawks’ starting quarterback, Jalon Daniels, made posts on social media recently about their involvement in EA Sports’ “College Football 25.”
The KU team itself said in part on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, “Rock Chalk, we’re in the game.” Daniels said in part on Instagram, “I’m In The Game.” And both moves have only added to the excitement around the Jayhawks ahead of the video game’s release.
But if all of Kansas’ leading talent opts to be a part of the video game, which players will receive the best ratings? What will that say about the Jayhawks’ roster as a whole? Here’s a prediction about the three guys who could be at the top of the list:
Jalon Daniels (Quarterback)
Injuries have hindered Jalon Daniels across the past couple seasons. As long as there aren’t any setbacks, he’s in line to start at quarterback again for Kansas in 2024. When healthy, he’s proven capable of being one of the top players in the Big 12 Conference. Take a look at a year ago, ahead of the 2023 season, when he was named the preseason Big 12 offensive player of the year.
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Daniels’ post on Instagram went up Friday. Whenever the video game is released, his dual-threat capability should make him a talent people want to put their faith in. Consider what he did in the overtime win at Texas in 2021, and the triple overtime loss in the Liberty Bowl against Arkansas in 2022, for a couple examples of what he’s put on tape during his career.
Devin Neal (Running back)
Devin Neal, Kansas’ star from Lawrence, has an opportunity to continue to cement his legacy at KU. But while he’s working toward being able to deliver in that regard, he could be one of the Jayhawks’ stars in the video game as well. Each of the past three seasons, he’s led Kansas in rushing yards, and there too many reasons not to anticipate he’s in line to do the same this upcoming season.
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Each year, Neal has also had more receptions and receiving yards than the year before. The potential is there for him to be seen as more than just a dynamic talent in the running game. Paired with Daniel Hishaw Jr., another running back on the Jayhawks’ roster, the duo could end up being the Big 12’s best.
Cobee Bryant (Cornerback)
Cobee Bryant, like Daniels, posted in part on Instagram on Friday that he’s also “in the game.” That makes the Kansas cornerback available when the video game is released. He’s arguably the most dynamic talent on defense who’s returned to the Jayhawks from the 2023 team — which earned a second-straight bowl appearance for the program and its first bowl victory in more than a decade, too.
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Bryant tied for the team lead in interceptions this past season. Back in 2022, he led the team in interceptions. Much like Daniels and Neal, he has the potential to be an All-Big 12 honoree who sets himself up for a professional opportunity in the NFL.
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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
Thuney was looking for an extension, and the Chiefs had quite a few that they’d recently handed out or were looking to, leading to a departure after two straight first-team All-Pro seasons.
With the 2026 NFL Draft upon us, let’s revisit the Thuney trade and what the Chiefs got in return.
Original terms of the Joe Thuney trade
- Kansas City Chiefs receive: 2026 fourth-round pick (No. 125)
- Chicago Bears receive: LG Joe Thuney
What did the Chiefs do with the pick from the Joe Thuney trade?
Kansas City ultimately used the fourth-round pick it acquired to trade up with the New England Patriots from No. 95 to No. 85 in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, taking cornerback Nohl Williams at the spot.
The Patriots now have the No. 125 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
How did the Chiefs fare in the Joe Thuney trade?
The loss of Thuney came after some questionable moves from the Chiefs, which included paying Jawaan Taylor and Jaylon Moore significant money at tackle to fix their problems there.
So far, neither has panned out, with Taylor heading elsewhere this offseason. The Chiefs were already in a tough position financially after recent extensions for Chris Jones, George Karlaftis, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, Nick Bolton, and others, and had to make a decision.
They ultimately picked the younger Smith over Thuney, who fetched only a fourth-round pick on the open market. But, the reality is, Kansas City gave up quite a productive and durable player, and now it is still figuring out its offensive line.
Was the trade a poor move on its own? Maybe not with the financial situation Kansas City was in. But then again, they’re the ones who put themselves in that situation, costing them a quality player who had another strong season in 2025.
How did Joe Thuney play in 2025 for the Chicago Bears?
Thuney was huge for the Bears last season, earning first-team All-Pro honors for the third-straight year, while making his fourth-straight Pro Bowl appearance.
He remained durable for the entire year, playing 17 games for the third straight year. That’s been a key part of his entire career, be it in New England, with Kansas City, or in Chicago.
With a strong interior offensive line, the Bears saw their run game take key steps, while their offense as a whole matured into one of the better groups in the NFL.
He’s set to be on the second year of a two-year, $35 million extension that he signed with Chicago after the trade happened last offseason.
KANSAS CITY, MO. — One person died in a traffic crash Thursday night on southbound Interstate 35 at Antioch Road in Johnson County.
The wreck forced the closure of exit ramps at Lamar Avenue, Interstate 635 and Metcalf Avenue, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.
Overland Park police investigators are working to determine what caused the wreck.
The Kansas Highway Patrol and other agencies also are on the scene.
An overhead road sign could be seen on the interstate.
Ryan Gamboa/KSHB 41
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — From 25,000 parking spots to 19,000 within a 10-minute walk to the stadium, that’s how many Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas says will be available near the new Royals ballpark in Crown Center, with 9,000 of those spots on the actual campus.
While there will be less parking, Royals fan Roger Nickell says he believes this move is good for Kansas City.
“I think anything that makes Kansas City an exciting place to come to, and a good destination, the parking itself is not going to be the issue,” Nickell said “We’d rather have good things in our city, and if you go to other cities, Kansas City is actually really, really easy right now.”
While it might not be ideal for some, downtown stadiums and parking is the normal for a number of teams and cities throughout Major League Baseball. Upwards of 20 teams have a stadium in the downtown area, including the Twins, Cardinals and Tigers.
“I think every new stadium in the MLB is being built downtown, so I kind of expected it,” Royals fan Jackson Fort said. “I think parking will be kind of, they’ll have to figure out something because there’s going to be a big building and not a lot of space to put it. I think you’ll see a lot more Ubers and less of that tailgating scene that the chiefs and the royals are so known for.”
While tailgating as we know it will look different, walking to the stadium won’t actually look that bad if you use the streetcar. From the stop at the World War I Museum, you’re looking at a nine-minute walk to Crown Center, and four-minute walk if you get off at Union Station.
“I think it would be a good thing for the city, for the baseball park and for everybody,” avid streetcar user Gary Henderson said. “Especially for the people who use the trolley would get a chance to see how comfortable it is and maybe it’ll increase their business too.”
With hopes of the new stadium to be ready for opening day in 2030, the Royals, Kansas City, and fans have time to figure out any potential obstacles.
“I think we’ll get to figure it out,” Royals fan Caden Tucker said. “I think that they have plenty of time to be able to figure everything out and make sure everything’s not going to be packed in here and just kind of slowed down in the process.”
While a lot of parking will be taken away in the near future, if one thing is for certain, the Royals will not. The current lease for Kauffman stadium is set to expire in 2031.
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