On Tuesday, Kansas City Chiefs General Manager, Brett Veach emphasized that the team’s top priority this offseason is retaining right guard Trey Smith. It didn’t take long for the Chiefs to make that happen.
On Thursday, Kansas City placed the franchise tag on their star interior lineman, according to multiple sources. Smith is locked in for 2025 with a one-year deal worth $23.4 million, making him the highest-paid guard in the NFL.
This move comes after the league announced the final salary cap number for 2025, which is $279.2 million. Earlier reports indicated that the Chiefs were not going to use the franchise or transition tag on Smith. However, the salary cap increase made it possible.
By using the franchise tag, Kansas City takes Smith off the free-agent market. Multiple teams were going to pursue the star guard, including the Bears and Vikings.
Veach said that the team wants to sign Smith to a new deal and keep him in KC for years to come. The tag gives them more time to reach a long-term deal without having any other team attempting to outbid.
The intent is not to trade Smith as the Chiefs did with L’Jarius Sneed a year ago. Kansas City is going to use the tag as a means for a long-term deal.
One thing that is apparent after the Super Bowl loss is that Kansas City needs to focus on protecting Patrick Mahomes. By locking up Smith, you retain one of the best, if not the best, interior trio in the NFL.
Joe Thuney is an All-Pro guard, who is moving back to the interior on the left side, and Creed Humphrey is one of the top centers in the league. Keeping one of the elite guards in Smith is the right move.
With him locked in for this upcoming season, the question shifts from whether the Chiefs bring Smith back to when the deal gets done, and how much he gets.
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