It's not uncommon for the best teams in the NFL to have a tough time keeping their star players because of the salary cap. The Kansas City Chiefs have fallen into this situation and, as fans have become accustomed to, are likely going to lose more fan favorites in the offseason.
When asked if the Chiefs could lose both Nick Bolton and Trey Smith in the 2025 offseason, SI's Albert Breer said "it’s going to be a challenge to keep either guy". This is not music to Chiefs fans' ears.
"The trouble is that it’s going to be tough to keep either guy off the market, since Smith’s franchise tag figure will be based on what the top tackles make, and Bolton’s tag number will be based on what high-end edge rushers make (which is why off-ball linebackers and interior offensive linemen routinely make it to the market); and the Chiefs have a lot of mouths to feed."
Chiefs will have a difficult time keeping both Nick Bolton and Trey Smith
Chiefs fans aren't shocked by this in the slightest. The 2021 draft class was an iconic one for this organization, as they landed Bolton, Creed Humphrey, Noah Gray, and Smith with four of their six picks. That's some good drafting.
With how good a job Brett Veach has done with drafting comes the downside, which is that it's hard to keep those players. Breer went on to discuss how Bolton and Smith aren't the only Chiefs needing to get paid this spring.
"Trent McDuffie and George Karlaftis will be eligible for new contracts for the first time. Joe Thuney, Jawaan Taylor and Creed Humphrey have top-end deals already, which means fitting a fourth lineman into that equation could be challenging (though it wouldn't be a stunner if Taylor wound up leaving). Justin Reid and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown are among the other guys up for new contracts. And as it stands, without adding anyone, they’re already close to the cap."
This is what happens to the best teams. We saw it with the Patriots during their two-decade run and they always made the right calls letting the big names walk and earn more money elsewhere while they stuck to paying Tom Brady and a few other names here and there. For the Chiefs, that's Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, and now Creed Humphrey as well.
Tyreek Hill and L'Jarius Sneed are two of the bigger names the Chiefs have traded away in recent years and clearly they've been doing just fine without those guys. While it'll be sad not having Bolton on defense or Smith in the trenches next year, this is what happens to the NFL's best.
