Chiefs to use franchise tag on guard Trey Smith, source says

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs have informed Pro Bowl guard Trey Smith that they will use the franchise tag on him, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday.

The move will effectively keep Smith off the free agent market. By franchising Smith, the Chiefs are obligated to offer him a one-year contract worth about $23.4 million.

The highest-paid guard in the NFL is the Philadelphia Eagles’ Landon Dickerson at $21 million per year so the tag essentially makes Smith the highest-paid guard in football.

The deadline for teams to use the franchise tag is Monday at 4 p.m. ET.

The Chiefs and Smith will have until July 15 to agree to a long-term contract. If no deal is reached by that date, Smith will play the 2025 season on his franchise tender.

Smith, 25, joined the Chiefs as a sixth-round draft pick in 2021 out of Tennessee.

Like many teams, the Chiefs had a much higher draft grade on Smith but didn’t select him until the sixth round because of concerns over a blood-clot issue in his lungs while in college. But Smith immediately took over at right guard for Kansas City, starting 67 of a possible 68 regular-season games in his four years. He also hasn’t missed a start in 13 postseason games.

In 2024, Smith ranked 13th among guards in pass block win rate (93.9%) and sixth in run block win rate (career-high 75.1%). He allowed just 1.5 sacks, per NFL Next Gen Stats, and committed only two penalties. He was rewarded with his first Pro Bowl nod.

The previous three seasons, Smith finished in the top four in pass rush win rate among guards, including second in both 2021 (96.0%) and 2023 (96.6%).