The Kansas City Chiefs kept impending free agent Trey Smith from reaching the open market by using the franchise tag. Now, with the July 15th deadline to sign a long-term extension just days away, all signs point towards the star guard playing the season on the one-year deal. While some players can get frustrated over these negotiation headaches, Smith seemed unbothered about the situation in a recent interview. with Up & Adams.
“I just leave it in the hands of my agents,” Smith said, referring to the contract negotiations. “And obviously, the front office staff of the Chiefs are elite. At the end of the day, I let them take care of it. I just have to focus on being the best version of myself, bing the best football player, and being prepared for training camp because St. Joe’s is around the corner. That’s going to be – I don’t even want to talk about that right now.”
While anything can happen between now and July 15th, it appears as though the Chiefs and Trey Smith will not come to terms on a new extension. This means the Pro Bowl guard and two-time Super Bowl champion will likely play the upcoming season on a one-year, $23.4 million deal before potentially testing the market in 2026.
However, this doesn’t mean the Chiefs won’t eventually extend Trey Smith. At the end of the day, the 26-year-old is one of the premier players at his position and should be a cornerstone piece of this offensive line. Seeing as the team effectively chose him over Joe Thuney, it’s safe to assume Kansas City wants Smith to remain a Chiefs for the vast majority of his career.
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