The Broncos should be just as thrilled about Trey Smith’s deal as the Chiefs and it has nothing to do with him staying in Kansas City

Smith's deal, valued at $23.5 million per season as an annual average salary, is nearly 33 percent higher than the annual average salary that the Broncos were able to secure guard Quinn Meinerz on with their own contract extension last offseason. Meinerz, who was the 98th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, has steadily developed into one of the best offensive guards in the game, same as Smith.

Denver secured Meinerz on a four-year, $72 million total value extension last offseason on July 22nd, paying him an annual average of $18 million per year. These were two members of the same draft class — Smith slid to the sixth round on account of some medical concerns. The Broncos were able to secure Meinerz on his new deal with an added year of control to spread the money around with by locking him in proactively.

It is a move that should be applauded as a win for Denver and the value they'll now retain in having Meinerz under contract for four more years at a significantly lower rate than Smith. Every team has their own timeline and issues to tackle when working on extensions. But what Denver managed to do with extending Meinerz and cornerback Patrick Surtain II last offseason has the team firmly ahead of the curve. 

The salary cap is ascending, but these positional markets are still expanding at a rate that should have the Broncos celebrating this summer's round of extensions almost as much as the players who are signing them elsewhere across the league. Both Meinerz and Surtain II played excellent football in 2024 and are in the prime of their careers — meaning Denver's contract extensions with both have a pair of established cornerstones secured at what should already be considered team-friendly rates.