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Thuney is 7 years older than Smith and the Chiefs desperately need a LT. We'd all like for the Chiefs to spend way over the cap, but they can't, so, you have to pick your spots. The money we'd be paying Thuney is now being paid to Smith as we shift a rookie contract guy into Thuney's old spot.
Getting younger on the O-line helps to keep Patrick protected for years to come. Moving a 2nd year player into the LG spot saves a lot of money off the cap. Finally, trading Thuney gets us some draft capital for next year in the same way that trading Sneed to the Titans last year got us some draft capital for this year. When you're constantly at the end of every round, getting extra draft capital is a must.
I really like Thuney and wish we could have kept him, but teams are forced to make moves like these because players want to get paid as much as possible. It's nobody's fault. It's just the business.
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