Patriots Get Bad News on Top Free Agent Target

It was reported by Ian Rapoport on X that the Kansas City Chiefs are planning on franchise tagging guard Trey Smith. Smith was one of the Chiefs' best offensive linemen last year, and getting to keep him for another year is huge for the Chiefs but terrible for the New England Patriots.

The Patriots desperately need help on the offensive line, and with the most cap space in the league, they definitely could have given the star guard the long-term deal he was looking for.

With Smith out of the race now, the Patriots are going to have to turn their attention to some of the other free-agent offensive linemen. Cam Robinson from the Vikings, Brandon Scherff from the Jaguars, and Joseph Noteboom from the Rams are some other possible options for the Patriots to look at in free agency.

The Patriots can also look at the trade market. Guard Jonah Jackson has recently received permission to seek a trade, and other linemen like Evan Neal of the Giants and Trevor Penning from the Saints have also been in trade rumors.

The Patriots could also look to draft some offensive line help with Smith off the table. They have been linked to LSU guard Will Campbell, and they also have the possibility of trading back and selecting one of the other projected first-round linemen.

The Patriots will have to get some offensive line help one way or another, and they must start looking at other free agent and trade candidates with one of their top targets off the board.