Trey Smith sends defiant message to those burying the Chiefs dynasty

For numerous reasons, far more questions than answers exist about what the Kansas City Chiefs will be after they finished the 2025 season with six straight losses and a 6-11 record. 

During a Thursday appearance on the FanDuel TV "Up & Adams" program, Chiefs guard Trey Smith was asked about how he and his teammates are reacting to outsiders saying the franchise's dynastic run is over. 

Trey Smith gives his best Mike Tomlin impersonation

"I think back to that Mike Tomlin quote," Smith said in reference to the former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach. "'We do not care.' We don't care. At the end of the day, we're over here playing ball. We're just doing our job." 

Credit Smith and the Chiefs for doing all they can to tune haters out this offseason, but it's understandable that some are assuming the glory days of the organization's recent era are in the past. While quarterback Patrick Mahomes seems serious about wanting to play in Kansas City's regular-season opener this coming September, history suggests he'll need more time to recover from the torn ACL and torn LCL he suffered in the middle of December. 

Additionally, it's still unknown if tight end and franchise legend Travis Kelce will return for another season. Some may point out that Kelce is no longer the player he was in his prime, but the fact remains that he led the 2025 Chiefs with 76 receptions, 108 targets, 851 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns (tied with two others). On paper, Kansas City will need to bolster its passing attack even if Kelce is on the roster later this year. 

What went wrong for 2025 Chiefs?

The Chiefs fell to 6-8 on the same day Mahomes went down with his injury, so it's hardly a stretch to say plenty went wrong for the club before that afternoon. Nevertheless, Smith expects Kansas City will bounce back in a big way this fall. 

"We've just gotta be better," Smith continued. "A lot of times last season, we weren't playing our best football. We weren't playing complementary football. At the end of the day, we have to just go back to the drawing board, be great this offseason. Everyone has to prepare. Individually, I've looked myself in the mirror. What can I do to be better for my team?" 

As of Thursday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Chiefs tied for fifth among the betting favorites (with two other teams) at +1400 odds to win Super Bowl LXI next February. 

Clearly, not everybody has buried the Kansas City dynasty quite yet.