Here’s what we know about Chiefs’ talks with Trey Smith ahead of Tuesday’s deadline
Chiefs players will report to training camp in St. Joseph on Sunday, but there is one piece of business the team would like to take care of before then.
Tuesday is the deadline for NFL teams to sign a player who had the franchise tag placed on them earlier this year. The Chiefs put the non-exclusive franchise tag on guard Trey Smith, so if the sides want to get a long-term deal done, there is not much time left to reach an agreement.
Smith, 26, ranked fourth among all NFL interior offensive linemen in ESPN’s survey of coaches, executives and scouts, so the Chiefs would love to lock in a multi-year deal.
Here’s what we know about the negotiations.
When is the deadline?
The deadline is at 3 p.m. Central time on Tuesday. If a long-term contract isn’t done by then, Smith can only sign only a one- year contract with the Chiefs for the 2025 season. That deal can’t be extended until after the regular season.
Smith’s current deal
The Chiefs put the non-exclusive franchise tag on Smith in February, which means he has a contract worth $23.4 million for the 2025 season. That makes Smith the highest-paid guard in the NFL.
Chiefs’ cap space
The NFLPA Salary Cap report shows the Chiefs have $11.3 million of room under the NFL’s salary cap. Signing Smith to a multi-year deal likely would create more room for the Chiefs because it would be a lower salary hit for the 2025 season.
Smith’s mindset
Smith was on the “Up & Adams” show last week and was asked about Tuesday’s looming deadline.
“I leave it to the hands of my agents. Obviously, the front office and staff of the Chiefs are elite,” Smith said. “At the end of the day, I’ll let them take care of it. I just have to focus on being the best version of myself. Being the best football player and preparing for training camp. Because St. Joe is around the corner, and it’s going to be ... we don’t want to talk about that right now.”
Smith’s agents
Jimmy Sexton and Tory Dandy of Creative Arts Agency (CAA) represent Smith.
What the Chiefs are saying
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach was asked in April about the possibility of signing Smith to a multi-year deal.
“Hopefully we get that done,” Veach said. “There’s no lack of interest or will or desire on our end and we did have a ton of talk with Tory and Jimmy, his agent, heading into the Combine. Those conversations continued on to the owner’s meetings ... CAA, on their end, they are one of the leading agencies in regards to the players they produce every year, so I’m sure once things settle down on both ends, we’ll be in a position to continue this dialogue and hopefully make some progress there. There’s no secret there that we’d like to get Trey locked up.”
