Chiefs’ Trey Smith shares poignant post about late mother after signing contract
When Chiefs guard Trey Smith was a kid, his grandfather asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up.
Smith dreamed of being a football player, and each night he would get on his knees with a special prayer.
“I remember as a child, really young, just getting on my knees every single night, praying to God, just make me 6-5. Please just make me 6-5 so I can be big enough to play,” Smith said last week on Matt Forte’s “Sports Spectrum” podcast.
That prayer was answered by the time Smith was in high school in Jackson, Tennessee, as he shot up to 6-5.
At that point, Smith thought life was perfect, especially after a special Christmas in 2014 when relatives from around the country visited. But things were about to change.
“I remember being so happy,” Smith said on the podcast. “And that same night, I remember sitting with my mom, and she was like my best friend, and we’re just talking about the day, and then I told her about a nightmare I just had. I couldn’t explain it. I was outside. It was cold. I was being chased by something. I was just running away from something.
“And once again, my mom interpreted as God was trying to convey a message to me. Saying you’re gonna go through some trials, tribulations, some tough times in your life. But if you stay steadfast, if you keep your eyes on God, is what she said, He’ll bring you through.”
Smith had no way of knowing just how right his mother, Dorsetta, was about that nightmare.
“The thing about is my mom got hospitalized the very next day, and a little bit over a month after that, she passed away, and for me, that was like the toughest time in my life. You know, you don’t understand how important people are until you lose them, how much they hold a family together until they’re gone.
“So for me, I learned at an early age to appreciate people in your life, don’t take anybody or anything for granted. You don’t know how long you have it. And I remember I made two promises to my mom before she passed away. The last time I ever saw my mom, I held her hand in the hospital bed, and I said, ‘Mom, I’m getting my degree and I’m playing in the NFL one day.’ And I just let that motivate and drive me.”
My colleague Sam McDowell previously wrote about Smith’s relationship with his mother and his battle with blood clots while at the University of Tennessee.
Smith fulfilled both promises to his mother, and on Tuesday received a record-setting contract that secures his financial future for life.
The first message Smith shared on social media was a photo of his mom. He wrote in an Insta story: “That was for you Dorsetta Smith.”
The Chiefs shared a video of Smith talking with his father on Tuesday, and it was a cool moment.
“You made me very proud,” Henry Smith told his son. “I’m very thankful that today is culminated to this special rewarding day for you.”
This story was originally published July 16, 2025 at 8:27 AM.
