The Kansas City Chiefs already made one major decision this offseason when they placed a non-exclusive franchise tag on right guard Trey Smith. While this allows other teams the ability to outbid Kansas City for Smoth, they will be forced to give up significant draft capital to acquire him.
As a result, the 25-year-old guard will likely stay in Kansas City in 2025 on a tag earning $23.4 million. Smith’s 2025 cap number makes it nearly impossible to maintain young star linebacker Nick Bolton.
Nonetheless, Smith staying is not the only reason the Chiefs might not be able to keep Bolton. As of Monday, another potential free-agent linebacker has become unavailable.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Green Bay Packers have signed linebacker Isaiah McDuffie to a two-year deal worth $8 million. McDuffie staying in Green Bay means there is one less linebacker on the market, which drives Bolton’s price up even more.
Sources: #Packers are re-signing LB Isaiah McDuffie on a two-year, $8-million deal with upside to $9.5M.
McDuffie has 183 tackles over the last two seasons. pic.twitter.com/wxUnkAhuMQ
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 3, 2025
Nick Bolton’s Price Raises After Packers Retain Isaiah McDuffie
Green Bay selected McDuffie with the 220th pick in the 2021 NFL draft. Since joining the team, the 25-year-old linebacker has seen his defensive snap count increase year-over-year. Although McDuffie didn’t take a defensive snap as a rookie, he saw the field 64% of the time in 2024.
This past season, McDuffie recorded 87 tackles, three TFLs, two pass deflections and one forced fumble. The year prior, he played 48% of the defensive snaps, recording 86 tackles, five TFLs and one pass deflection. That’s very solid production from a player that was drafted in the sixth round.
That said, Bolton has been a bigger factor in Kansas City’s defense since being drafted, playing 60% or more of the defensive snaps all four seasons. In those four seasons, Bolton has recorded 458 tackles, 32 TFLs, 15 pass deflections, five sacks, four interceptions, and two forced fumbles.
Even though Bolton was always in a league above McDuffie, his re-signing is mutually beneficial for Bolton. Currently, Spotrac projects Bolton will sign a four-year deal worth $49 million this offseason. However, with McDuffie on the market, the price will likely rise.
Unfortunately, for Kansas City that means they lose their ascending young linebacker. Even so, no matter where Bolton lands, he’s on track to become the next great linebacker in the NFL
