All offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs have made it a priority to lock up Trey Smith with a major contract extension. Smith has been one of the most reliable protectors for future Hall of Famer Patrick Mahomes, and a few years after being drafted, it's fair to say he was the steal of his class. Now, he’s signed a deal that makes him the highest-paid guard in NFL history.
“Pro-Bowl guard Trey Smith and the Chiefs reached agreement just ahead of today’s franchise-tag deadline on a four-year, $94 million deal that includes $70 million guaranteed and makes him the highest-paid guard in NFL history,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter posted.
This deal has been in the works for some time. Chiefs general manager Brett Veach even acknowledged the mutual interest in getting something done during the NFL Combine.
“Hopefully, we get that done,” Veach said at the NFL Draft Combine in March. “There’s no lack of interest or will or desire on our end… There’s no secret there that we’d like to get Trey locked up.”
There was a time in college when Smith wasn’t even sure he’d ever play football again, due to a serious medical scare.
“There was a day when Kansas City Chiefs starting guard Trey Smith wondered if he’d ever play football again, let alone make it to the Super Bowl. That’s because Smith suffered from blood clots in his lungs while at the University of Tennessee,” KCUR’s Greg Echlin wrote.
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Smith and the Chiefs are coming off a Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles—the first of his career. But Smith views the experience as a valuable lesson, believing that loss often brings growth. Now, he’ll suit up once again in a Chiefs uniform, making history as the highest-paid guard in the league.
A career once full of uncertainty has become a landmark story of resilience and success.