While the Kansas City Chiefs are laser-focused on the task at hand, the AFC championship game against the Bills on Sunday, it’s also time to start thinking about the offseason. With 28 NFL teams already in the offseason mode, the Chiefs front office has to consider what its free agency priorities are.
Chiefs GM Brett Veach has difficult decisions to make. Nick Bolton, Trey Smith, and Justin Reid are pending free agents and will require lucrative, long-term extensions to stay in Kansas City. How likely it will be to retain all three remains to be seen but an NFL insider already expects one of them to leave in the offseason.
Field Yates went on the CHGO Bears podcast on Tuesday and revealed that he doesn’t expect the Chiefs to franchise tag Trey Smith, making him a free agent. He added that he would have a ton of suitors in free agency, including the Bears.
Field Yates via CHGO Bears Podcast says he expects Chiefs RG Trey Smith to hit free agency and for KC not to franchise tag him. pic.twitter.com/kkBVVmLeYO
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) January 21, 2025
This would be a major loss for the Chiefs. Smith is as reliable as they come in the NFL. Ever since he was a sixth-round selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, the talented offensive lineman has been so consistent and so effective for Kansas City, starting in 67 games in four seasons and playing over 1,000 snaps every season.
Smith was one of the better guards in the NFL once again, receiving a 77.1 grade on Pro Football Focus, ranking 12th in his position. As a result, he earned his first Pro Bowl honors in his fourth season in the league.
Unfortunately, however, this is the price of success in the NFL. The Chiefs are the franchise to emulate for the rest of the league, making their players coveted free agents in the offseason. Kansas City will either have to break the bank to re-sign Smith or try to find a replacement for him in the draft.
