The Chiefs know one thing for sure—to win more Super Bowls, they must protect Patrick Mahomes at all costs. They’ve already built a strong O-line, but keeping it that way? That’s the tricky part. With Joe Thuney gone and key contracts coming up, KC’s front office has some big decisions to make. And when you’ve got a guy like Trey Smith holding it down in the trenches, you start wondering—how do you ensure he stays in a Chiefs jersey?

Well, the Chiefs have already placed a non-exclusive franchise tender on Smith, which will keep him from entering the free agency in 2025. Now, one thing’s for sure: Kansas City must be eyeing a contract extension for the 25-year-old offensive lineman—at least that’s what the star tight end, Travis Kelce, is expecting.

On their latest episode of the New Heights Podcast, Travis and Jason Kelce talked about the future of Trey Smith with the Chiefs. When Jason asked, “Is Trey Smith franchised?” The TE went straight up and admitted the team’s working on a long-term deal with Smith. “Yeah, and you know, I know they’re working on a long-term deal to try to keep trade,” Travis said.

There’s no doubt that the Chiefs are working on a long-term contract with Smith. I mean, for starters, the Chiefs know that their O-line requires an update before starting their next campaign. Second, they’ve already traded the veteran Thuney to the Bears, which cleared a $16 million salary cap space. That said, the Chiefs are now looking to bolster their O-line. And they acted by placing a non-exclusive franchise tender on Smith.

According to CBS Sports, tagging Smith has been the best move from the Chiefs. “OG Trey Smith: If the Chiefs were going to do anything this offseason, it was going to involve shoring up Patrick Mahomes’ front,” CBS Sports writes. “Tagging Smith ensures Kansas City will at least keep one top blocker in tow.” Well, ask Travis Kelce about that. The guy’s rooting for the front office to sign more players like Trey Smith.

No, not a typo. Jason advised his brother, or should we say the former NFL center indirectly advised the KC’s front office to “Prevent him (Smith) going to free agency so they can still keep negotiating?” To his response, Travis stated that the team needs more players like Smith on their roster. “Exactly. And I am hoping that they can sign something that, you know, Trey appreciates and that the Chiefs can, you know, still get out and get other pieces knowing that we need more, more guys like Trey Smith, you know, guys that are dedicated,” the TE said.

However, one thing’s for sure: keeping Trey Smith for the long haul is definitely going to cost the Chiefs a pretty penny.

Offensive linemen have become too valuable for the teams

Given the Chiefs have freed up roughly $16M in cap space for 2025, it’s pretty much certain that the team can afford a deal for Smith. After tagging him, the Chiefs already confirmed that Smith will at least play the 2025 season. However, Nate Taylor of The Athletic believes that the 25-year-old guard is expected to land a four or five year long deal worth $23 million per year. Yeah, you read that right.

The Kansas City team drafted Smith in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL draft. And you can just say the team struck gold after drafting him with 226th overall pick. Since then, he’s been the right guard for KC. In his rookie season, he didn’t miss out on any regular season games and was the NFL All-Rookie Team.

Then came 2022, where he only missed out 1 regular season game. And went on to play in 3 playoff games, eventually helping the team win a Lombardi in his second year as pro. Speaking of the Super Bowl win, Smith also strengthened the Chiefs’ O-line. I mean, they didn’t allow the Eagles to land a singular sack. One of the reasons behind their 38-35 win in the Super Bowl LVII.

The guy went on to continue his performance and clinched back-to-back Super Bowl ring with the Chiefs in the 2023 season. Following the Super Bowl LIX loss to the Eagles last month, the Chiefs placed a non-exclusive franchise tender on him. That said, the Chiefdom can expect a lucrative deal for Smith on its way in the coming months.