Getty Former Kansas City Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill (#22) celebrates with his teammates in 2022.
In case you missed it, former Kansas City Chiefs second-round pick and starting safety Juan Thornhill elected to sign with the Cleveland Browns in free agency on March 15.
On March 17, Thornhill bid Kansas City farewell, and he did so with a touching message on social media. “Thank you #chiefskingdom ❤️,” the tweet caption read.
Thank you #chiefskingdom ❤️
Juan Thornhill’s Full Goodbye to Chiefs Kingdom
For those having a hard time reading the social media post, we transcribed Thornhill’s full goodbye below. It read:
Chiefs Kingdom!!! What a journey the past four years have been. In 2019, you guys took a chance on a small-town kid from Virginia, and immediately embraced me as your own.
My time in Kansas City has been an absolute rollercoaster, from my rookie year and suffering a season ending injury, to winning our second Super Bowl this past year. I am beyond grateful for all the memories and years of support this city has given me. It’s hard to say goodbye to such a great city.
To my teammates, coaches, training & support staff, thank you all for making these past four years the greatest so far. Thank you guys for all the memories and friendships that will last forever. Growing up as a kid I have always dreamed of hoisting the Lombardi, we did [it] TWICE!!!
While this chapter of my life has come to an end, I am excited for what the future holds and to chase another Super Bowl in Cleveland. Thank you Chiefs Kingdom!
It was a classy gesture from Thornhill, who has played all 65 of his appearances with the Kansas City organization. Out of those 65 outings, he started 52 games and came away with two Super Bowl rings — one that he helped win in person and another that he earned during the regular season.
Now he’ll join the Browns, who are hoping to compete for AFC playoff contention again in 2023 with a full year of former Houston Texans superstar Deshaun Watson at quarterback.
Logan Ryan Hypes Juan Thornhill’s Replacement Mike Edwards
The Chiefs didn’t necessarily need a Thornhill replacement with 2022 rookie Bryan Cook on the roster, but they signed one anyway in former Tampa Bay Buccaneers DB Mike Edwards. This makes sense, considering defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo enjoys utilizing three safety looks.
Speaking of two-time Super Bowl champions, ex-New England Patriots two-timer Logan Ryan had some good things to say about Edwards after he latched on in KC. Ryan tweeted: “Playing with the lead in the 4th quarter I can’t imagine how many picks @M__Edwards7 bout to have 😱 Mike one of the best ball hawks I ever played with at any level sheesh. Don’t believe me just watch @Chiefs 🤝🏾💼 #LogKnows.”
Edwards later responded to Ryan, replying: “That’s real, coming from one of the best! Appreciate you Lo! ✊🏽”
Ryan wasn’t the only one touting Edwards’ ability to take the ball away. Arrowhead Pride film analyst Caleb James echoed this too, voicing: “Mike Edwards takes the ball away and scores. The Chiefs struggled to force turnovers during the regular season in 2022. This feels like a direct move to help improve in that category.”
Thornhill was a bit of a ball hawk himself, with eight interceptions over four seasons and at least one takeaway in every campaign. Edwards has achieved similar success with turnovers over the past three years, with seven interceptions and three touchdowns during that span.
He signed with the Chiefs on a one-year, $3 million deal (up to $5 million with incentives) according to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport — a fraction of what Thornhill was awarded in Cleveland.