The Kansas City Chiefs accomplished their final major objective for this offseason, reaching agreement with right guard Trey Smith on a four-year, $94 million contract extension, a record-setting deal that makes him the highest-paid interior lineman in league history, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.
Smith’s deal includes $70 million guaranteed, the most guaranteed money ever awarded to an NFL guard.
The Chiefs announced their contract agreement with Smith but did not disclose terms.
Smith, 26, entered Tuesday as the lone NFL player who was still on the franchise tag, a move the Chiefs made Feb. 28 to prevent him from reaching free agency. General manager Brett Veach and coach Andy Reid made the decision — which restricted Smith to a one-year deal worth $23.4 million — so the team could continue to negotiate with him in hopes of signing him to a new contract before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline for franchised players to agree to long-term contracts.
PlayerTeamGuaranteedTrey SmithChiefs$70MRobert HuntPanthers$63MChris LindstromFalcons$62.7MQuenton NelsonColts$60MCreed HumphreyChiefs$50.3M– ESPN Research
Smith was one of two players to receive the franchise tag this year. The other, wide receiver Tee Higgins, reached agreement on a long-term contract with the Cincinnati Bengals in March. This will be the first season since 2015 when no players will play the season on a franchise tag, according to ESPN Research.
Retaining Smith completed the Chiefs’ latest revamp of their offensive line, the team’s biggest mission this offseason to better support quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Within minutes of the deal’s agreement, Mahomes used his X account to post a beaming face with smiling eyes emoji in reaction to Smith’s extension.
A first-time Pro-Bowler last season, Smith will continue to be a core contributor. He will block alongside a projected five-man lineup that includes new left tackle Jaylon Moore, new left guard Kingsley Suamataia, All-Pro center Creed Humphrey and right tackle Jawaan Taylor. In this year’s draft, the Chiefs doubled their efforts to improve their biggest roster need, using their first-round pick to select left tackle Josh Simmons, who is recovering from a left torn patellar injury that ended his final college season at Ohio State.
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The NFL informed teams that the salary cap would be $279.2 million, which was higher than the Chiefs anticipated. The Chiefs planned for the salary cap to be around $270 million. Less than a week after placing the franchise tag on Smith, the Chiefs traded All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears for a 2026 fourth-round pick. The decision to move Thuney, 32, created $16 million in salary-cap space.
Smith entered the league in 2021 to help the Chiefs overhaul their offensive line for the first time in the Mahomes era. Although Smith was a second-team All-American in his final season at Tennessee, he was selected in the sixth round (226th overall) because teams were concerned about his medical history. He was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs in February 2018. The issue reappeared eight months later, too. But since joining the Chiefs, Smith has been one of their most dependable players.
Smith, who is known for his athleticism and tenacity, has started 80 of 81 games, including the Chiefs’ past four postseason runs.
