Reading between the lines on Chiefs HC Andy Reid's blunt message about a potential Trey Smith mandatory minicamp holdout

The Kansas City Chiefs could find themselves in a holdout situation within a week, but they might not be too upset about it after all. 

Chiefs RG Trey Smith has avoided the voluntary Organized Team Activity (OTAs) workouts in Kansas City as he seeks a long-term contract extension while on the franchise tag. OTAs conclude with a final practice on Friday before the team shifts focus to its first mandatory workouts of the 2025 NFL offseason. 

Will the team's starting right guard, Trey Smith, attend those workouts? Andy Reid was asked point-blank if he expected Smith to participate in the team's mandatory minicamp from June 17 to June 19. His answer was rather blunt. 

"Yeah, we'll see," Reid said. "I don't know that, to be honest. I mean, these things are -- we'll see where he goes, where it goes." 

Smith may come to Kansas City to be with his teammates, coaches, and front office staff, but not to participate in practices, as he negotiates a long-term deal. That'd be considered a "hold-in" by today's standards in the NFL. Smith could also avoid the mandatory minicamp entirely, but be subject to fines from the team. That'd be considered a contract holdout. 

Why wouldn't Coach Reid be dialed into exactly what's going on here? Well, first of all, he leaves all of the player personnel and business side of things to Brett Veach.

Beyond that, it simply doesn't matter much to the team right now whether Smith is in the building for practices. They know all too well what he's capable of, and it's actually a risk to have him at practices during this juncture of the year.

If he got hurt during practices at OTAs or mandatory minicamp practices, the team would still be on the hook for his $23.4M guaranteed salary from the franchise tag. No matter how you dice it, that'd be a gigantic waste of money. So, it's mutually beneficial to have him stay away until both sides are ready to agree to a long-term deal, which must be done before the July 15 deadline. The ideal situation actually might be for Smith to skip out on mandatory minicamp, but agree to a deal shortly after, before the July 15 deadline. 

How much can Chiefs RG Trey Smith be fined for missing mandatory minicamp?

Here's the NFL's fine amounts, which cannot be waived for players who are on their second contract, for mandatory minicamp practices:

First missed practice: $17,462
Second missed practice: $34,925
Third missed practice: $52,381
Total amount: $104,768

While teams cannot waive these fines, they can always compensate with a signing bonus when a long-term deal is signed.