Aug 9, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Importance of Chiefs Extending Two Franchise Players

Originally posted on Kansas City Chiefs on SI
By Dominic Minchella | Last updated Aug 13, 2025 2:00 PM ET

The Kansas City Chiefs were busy this offseason. Whether that came from deciding who to bring back from the 2024 roster, or who the biggest name on their draft big board was, Brett Veach and his staff had several long days at the office to better the franchise for the future.

The Chiefs' offseason stayed busy with a ton of contract negotiations and signings for their organization. They re-signed players like Hollywood Brown, Charles Omenihu, and Kareem Hunt, among others, but the franchise also invested in its future plans by extending two of the more deserving players on the roster.

After franchise tagging offensive guard Trey Smith earlier this offseason, the Chiefs reached an agreement with Smith and his agent on keeping him in Kansas City long-term. Smith signed a four-year, $94 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid interior lineman in the NFL for 2025 and in history.

Smith was going to be a hot commodity if he had hit free agency next season, and to ensure their offensive line strength for the future, Veach and company got the deal done. Not too long after, the Chiefs reached a contract extension agreement with defensive end and former first-round pick George Karlaftis.

The Chiefs signed Karlaftis to a four-year, $93 million contract extension that includes $62 million guaranteed, keeping the former first-round pick from the 2022 NFL Draft in Chiefs threads until 2030. His contributions to the franchise are what earned him this contract extension.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, assistant general manager Chris Shea addressed how important it was for the Chiefs to sign both Smith and Karlaftis for the future.

"We were very excited to be able to get both of those contracts done. And, you know, zooming out to the big picture, you know, one of the core operating principles that Veach has adopted as the general manager here and goes all the way up to ownership is that we want to draft well and retain our own players to the maximum extent possible, that's feasible within our constraints. And we were very happy to get both of those guys done as important starters on both offense and defense."

This article first appeared on Kansas City Chiefs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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