Chicago Bears left guard Joe Thuney won the NFL’s inaugural Protector of the Year award Thursday night. Thuney earned the award during the NFL Honors ceremony that took place at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.

He won the award after a selection committee of “NFL legends” selected him for the honor. The Detroit Lions’ Penei Sewell, Denver Broncos’ Quinn Meinerz, Miami Dolphins’ Aaron Brewer and the Kansas City Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey were also nominated for the award.

“I really appreciate the former o-linemen who’ve played in this league, the unsung heroes of the past who’ve laid the foundation for us today, the game that we know and love,” Thuney said.

Thuney won the award in his first season with the Bears after general manager Ryan Poles traded for him last offseason. He instantly helped revamp the offensive line room and make it into one of the best in the NFL. Thuney played a major role in the Bears reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2020, winning its first NFC North since 2018 and claiming its first playoff win in 15 years.

The high level of play also followed Thuney to Chicago. Thuney earned his third straight First Team All-Pro honor and was named to his fourth Pro Bowl honor.

Bears head coach Ben Johnson was also a finalist for the Coach of the Year award. New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel won the award while Johnson finished fourth in voting.

Chicago also won the NFL’s Next Gen Stats Moment of the Year. Quarterback Caleb Williams’ overtime game-winning touchdown pass to DJ Moore against the Green Bay Packers in Week 16 won the award.

It was voted the top moment in a special season for the Bears. Chicago had seven comeback wins after trailing with two minutes left in the game. Moore accepted the award for the Bears and paid homage to late Bears Virginia McCaskey in his acceptance speech, who passed away last year.

“This season was special for the 2025 Bears because R.I.P Virginia,” Moore said. “But we went out there and made some moments this year and they were special moments. We can look forward to causing havoc to the league next year.”