Chicago Bears offensive lineman Joe Thuney was the inaugural winner of the NFL Protector of the Year award, while Ben Johnson lost out to Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots for Coach of the Year.
The awards were presented at the NFL Honors ceremony Thursday night in San Francisco ahead of Super Bowl weekend.
The Protector of the Year was decided by a panel of former All-Pro offensive linemen. On stage, Thuney thanked his family, his teammates and his coaches.
“I really appreciate all the former O-linemen who have played in this league,” Thuney said. “The unsung heroes of the past who have laid the foundation for us to play today the game that we know and love.”
Thuney, who primarily played left guard for the Bears, was one of six finalists for the award. The others were Denver Broncos tackle Garett Bolles, Miami Dolphins center Aaron Brewer, Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey, Denver Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz and Detroit Lions tackle Penei Sewell.
Thuney, 33, started all 17 regular-season games for the Bears at left guard. In the playoffs, he made the transition to left tackle for a divisional-round game against the Los Angeles Rams after starting left tackle Ozzy Trapilo suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Thuney was a first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowl selection in 2025. This was his fifth All-Pro season and his third time making first-team All-Pro.
The Bears traded for Thuney in March 2025. The 10-year veteran previously won a pair of Super Bowls each with the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs. Thuney was one of three moves the Bears made to rework the interior of their offensive line, also trading for guard Jonah Jackson and signing free-agent center Drew Dalman.
Thuney gave the Bears the type of veteran presence they hadn’t had on the offensive line in recent years. His teammates voted him a team captain in his first year in Chicago.
After their overhaul on the offensive line, the Bears became the No. 3-ranked rushing attack in the NFL. Quarterback Caleb Williams took just 24 sacks after taking a league-leading 68 in 2024.
Thuney has appeared in 163 regular-season games over his 10-year career, missing just two starts in that time. Not long after trading for him in March, the Bears signed Thuney to a two-year contract extension that will keep under team control through the 2027 season.
Among the six nominees for Protector of the Year, Bolles, Thuney, Humphrey, Meinerz and Sewell were all first-team All-Pro selections. Brewer was a second-team All-Pro.
Criteria for the award include advanced metrics, durability, quality of competition, weekly consistency and video evaluation.
Bears coach Ben Johnson greets players before the game against the Eagles on Nov. 28, 2025, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Johnson, 39, was up for the award along with the Seattle Seahawks’ Mike Macdonald and Vrabel — who will coach against each other in Super Bowl LX on Sunday — the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Liam Coen and the San Francisco 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan.
The award was voted on by a nationwide Associated Press panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL. The same panel also selected the MVP, offensive and defensive players of the year, offensive and defensive rookies of the year and other honors. Voting took place before the playoffs.
How NFL Coach of the Year finalist Ben Johnson turned the Chicago Bears around in his 1st year
Johnson was seeking to become the first Bears coach since Matt Nagy in 2018 to win the award. Five Bears coaches have won it: George Halas (1963, 1965) and Mike Ditka (1985, 1988) twice each and Dick Jauron (2001), Lovie Smith (2005) and Nagy once each.
Johnson led the Bears to an 11-6 regular-season record, their first NFC North title since 2018 and their first playoff victory in 15 years. The Bears reached the divisional round, losing in overtime to the Rams.
The Bears hired Johnson on Jan. 21, 2025, and he inherited a team that went 5-12 in 2024 and lost 10 consecutive games. Under his tutelage, the offense improved from one of the NFL’s worst into one of the best.
Williams threw for a franchise-record 3,942 yards with 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The defense led the NFL in takeaways. During one stretch, the Bears won nine of 10 games.
Vrabel, 50, took over a Patriots team that finished 4-13 last season, and they won the AFC East with a 14-3 record, earning the No. 2 seed in the conference.
Vrabel is the eighth man to play in a Super Bowl and then reach one as a head coach. With a win over the Seahawks on Sunday, he can make NFL history as the first person to win a Super Bowl as both a player and a head coach for the same franchise.
Associated Press contributed.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/05/nfl-honors-joe-thuney-ben-johnson-chicago-bears/
