News dropped on Thursday that could alter the plans for the Chicago Bears this offseason and their free agency moves.
The Kansas City Chiefs are using their franchise tag on pending free agent offensive lineman Trey Smith. The move takes not only a name that the Bears were likely to target on the open market, but a player who was considered among the top five available players in free agency.
On Friday, the Chiefs did indeed announce their franchise tag intentions with Smith, but it could leave the door open for a glimmer of optimism for Bears fans. Kansas City is using the non-exclusive franchise tag on Smith, meaning the negotiating window with other teams is a possibility.
While the Chiefs do have the ability to match any potential deal from opposing teams, the big part of the non-exclusive tag is that Kansas City would receive two first-round picks if they decided not to match an offer and let Smith play elsewhere.
It is highly unlikely many teams would pursue a deal with Smith due to the costly price of two first-round picks that they would have to give up to sign him. Chicago has four picks in the Top 75 selections, but sending out the 10th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft would be quite the decision to make for Smith. There is expected to be a long list of available offensive linemen in free agency, so while there is a chance the Bears still pursue him, it is highly unlikely.
Last season the Chiefs used their franchise tag on cornerback L'Jarius Sneed but received a third-round pick in exchange from the Tennessee Titans. History is unlikely to repeat itself, but Kansas City has shown to previously trade players after placing the franchise tag on them.
