As the NFL offseason rolls on, teams are closing in on report dates for training camp. With that also comes a critical deadline that clubs like the Kansas City Chiefs have been watching closely.
The clock striking 4:00 p.m. ET on July 15 is Kansas City’s cutoff point to get right guard Trey Smith signed to a long-term contract extension. It’s been a long offseason of uncertainty in that regard, as Smith is still on the franchise tag as of the morning of July 10.
Luckily for Chiefs fans, Smith’s appearance on “Up & Adams” with Kay Adams didn’t paint a bad picture of the situation. In fact, the former sixth-round NFL Draft pick seemed quite relaxed when asked for an update on where things stand.
Trey Smith Trusting Reps, Chiefs to Get a Deal Done Soon
Smith is focused on simply doing his part as a player. He believes the rest will take care of itself.
“Uh, you know, I just leave it to the hands of my agents,” Smith said. “Obviously, the front office staff of the Chiefs are elite. At the end of the day, I just let them take care of it. I just have to focus on being the best version of myself, being the best football player and being prepared for training camp, because St. Joe is around the corner. That’s gonna be – we don’t want to talk about that right now [laughs].”
If those thoughts sound familiar, it’s because they are. Almost a full year ago, Smith used the phrases “take care of itself” and “just keep working and do my job at a high level” to address contract-related questions. Not much is different now.
Smith has a good relationship with Chiefs general manager Brett Veach. That’s been the case dating back 2021 when he got drafted. He also trusts his CAA Football reps, Tory Dandy and Jimmy Sexton, to maintain a fluid line of communication with Veach and Co. Unlike many other yearly NFL contract “disputes,” there doesn’t seem to be any hostility here. Smith is keeping his head down and trusting the process.
Assessing Potential Cost of Contract Extension for Smith
The cost to retain Smith is going to be expensive. That was known months ago. One key offseason development to consider, of course, is the franchise tag. If Smith were to play out the 2025-26 campaign on that, he’d be making $23.4 million.
That’s a fully-guaranteed salary, by the way, and would rank first among all guards in average annual value (albeit for just one year). The worst of cases is pretty straightforward. In that scenario, a deal doesn’t get done and Smith can have a good season, make great money and hit free agency in the spring.
Earlier this month, former NFL agent Joel Corry offered his take on the financial component. He singled out high-dollar deals to players like Chris Lindstrom ($102.5M total), Robert Hunt ($63M in guarantees) and Landon Dickerson ($21M in average annual value) as ones to consider. According to Corry, Smith must feel that he’d make “at least $62.598 million over three years for a $20.866 million average yearly salary” to decline a four-year offer worth $86M right now.
Beyond that, Corry says Kansas City implementing an “extremely player-friendly structure” helps their chances. That may be their ticket to a deal. From a dollars and cents standpoint, Smith is already well above Dickerson’s AAV. It makes sense that in order to not take the tag amount on a per-year basis, Smith would have to see hefty guarantees. A sacrifice somewhere might have to be made.
Time is certainly ticking for both sides. Smith’s lack of worry – at least on the surface – should be viewed as a positive. It’s on his camp and the Chiefs to make good on that.
