Trey Smith's Contract Projection Spells Bad News for Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs may have a difficult time re-signing Trey Smith in NFL free agency.

Aug 17, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith (65) prepares to block against the Detroit Lions during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

It became abundantly clear in the Super Bowl that the Kansas City Chiefs have a whole lot of issues along their offensive line.

The Philadelphia Eagles were able to get to Patrick Mahomes at will, and while the Eagles have a terrific defense, it was obvious that the Chiefs had a whole lot of holes in the trenches.

To make matters worse, Kansas City's best offensive lineman, Trey Smith, is slated to hit the free-agent market and will be the top guard available, which may make retaining him a rather arduous task for the Chiefs.

Ben Rolfe of Pro Football Network recently published a piece outlining his predictions for the contracts of some of the best free agents on tap next month, and Kansas City's front office may want to cover its eyes rather than read the projection on Smith.

Why? Because Rolfe is predicting Smith to land a three or four-year deal worth in the neighborhood of $20 million annually. That isn't exactly great news for a team with limited cap space.

"Ultimately, Smith is likely to get a contract in the four- or five-year range for just under $20 million a year," Rolfe wrote. "However, as the premier free agent at the position, there is a chance he could see that value rise if two teams get into a bidding war for his services."

So, just how high could Smith's price rise under the right (or wrong, depending on who you ask) circumstances?

"It would not be a major surprise if Smith ended up getting a deal over $20 million a year and potentially breaking through [Landon] Dickerson’s $21 million AAV," Rolfe concluded.

That would be a major problem for the Chiefs, as re-signing Smith—who wasn't all that great in the playoffs, by the way—would likely prevent them from making any other major moves.

Yes, the salary cap increase helped Kansas City slightly, but the Chiefs still barely have any money to work with. Retaining Smith on such a massive contract would eat up most of that cash.

Smith is a very good player, but is he really good enough to reset the market for guards? That's something Kansas City seriously needs to weigh in the coming weeks.

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