Thursday brought word that the Chiefs were going to use a franchise tag to keep right guard Trey Smith from hitting the open market and Friday brought confirmation.
The Chiefs announced that they have used a non-exclusive franchise tag on the four-year veteran. The tag carries a salary of $23.402 million if Smith plays out the full year under the terms.
By using the non-exclusive tag, the Chiefs have left the door open for other teams to talk to Smith and potentially sign him to an offer sheet. They would have the option to match any offer and would be entitled to two first-round picks as compensation if not.
That’s an unlikely outcome, but the Chiefs did tag cornerback L’Jarius Sneed before trading him to the Titans last year. Reports indicate the Chiefs would like to sign Smith to a long-term deal and they’ll have until July 15 to do so, but the Sneed case shows that there could be other outcomes than Smith remaining in Kansas City.
