Chiefs All-Pro guard Trey Smith will be the most sought-after offensive lineman on the market when free agency kicks off three weeks from Wednesday.
And according to Nate Taylor from The Athletic, the Chiefs aren’t expected to use the franchise or transition tags to keep him off that market. Taylor said that after they fix the left tackle situation, the next priority on the Chiefs’ to-do list is push to retain Smith.
“Instead, the Chiefs should do their best to keep one of their best players by offering Smith a four- or five-year contract,” Taylor wrote on Wednesday. “Smith entered the league in 2021 alongside center Creed Humphrey and the two have become best friends. Last year the Chiefs signed Humphrey, the league’s best center, to a four-year contract that included guaranteed money in 2025 and 2026.”
Re-signing Smith won’t be easy. First, using the franchise tag to retain him is a non-starter because the NFL’s highest-paid guard, according to Over the Cap, is Atlanta’s Chris Lindstrom at $20.5 million per year. Designating Smith the Chiefs’ franchise player would pay him more than $25 million because it would pay him the average annual salary of the five highest-paid offensive linemen, including tackles.
Opting for the rarely used transition tag would pay Smith the average of the 10 highest-paid offensive linemen in 2025 and give the Chiefs the ability to match any offer Smith receives from other clubs – although the Chiefs would get no compensation if they choose not to match.
Smith, Humphrey and Joe Thuney were dominant on the interior in 2024. Entering the Super Bowl, Smith and Humphrey were tied for the league lead in pass-blocking snaps (732) without allowing a sack.
A first-time Pro Bowler in 2024, Smith has started 67 of 68 regular-season games and all 13 postseason contests since the Chiefs took him in the sixth round of the 2021 draft. Including postseason, the Chiefs are 63-18 (.778) since Smith walked into their building.
Another stalwart from that 2021 Chiefs draft, linebacker Nick Bolton, is also due to become an unrestricted free agent on March 12.
