Adam Schefter proposes a unique idea that would give the Bears a path toward signing Trey Smith in free agency
There's no secret who the top target is on the Chicago Bears' offseason board. Everyone has linked the Bears to Kansas City Chiefs right guard Trey Smith if he becomes available and it's easy to see why.The Bears already have plenty of in-house connections to their top target. General manager Ryan Poles served as the […]
There's no secret who the top target is on the Chicago Bears' offseason board. Everyone has linked the Bears to Kansas City Chiefs right guard Trey Smith if he becomes available and it's easy to see why.
The Bears already have plenty of in-house connections to their top target. General manager Ryan Poles served as the Chiefs executive director of player personnel when Smith was drafted in 2021, running backs coach Eric Bieniemy has a close connection with him during his time as the Chiefs offensive coordinator, and right tackle Darnell Wright played two seasons with Smith at the University of Tennessee.
However, the path to landing Smith is going to be a tricky one. For starters, many expect him to become the highest-paid guard this offseason, which is a tall enough mountain to climb. There's also the franchise tag at play, which would all but eliminate the Bears' chances of signing Smith. That's because the Bears would either have to pay Smith on top of sending two first-round picks via the non-exclusive tag or they wouldn't be able to negotiate with Smith at all, via the exclusive tag.
Earlier on Tuesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter included Smith's name among players who could be either franchise tagged or transition tagged. The franchise tag for an offensive lineman would be $25.15 million since tackles, centers, and guards are all grouped together under the umbrella of offensive linemen. Soon after, Schefter clarified that because of that, the rarely-used transition tag would make more sense for Smith and the Chiefs. It's an interesting idea that could actually help make the Bears' path toward signing Smith easier when it's all said and done.
What Is The Transition Tag?
The transition tag is very different than the franchise tags we usually see fly around this time of year. Last year, the Bears dealt with the headache of a process involved with the franchise tag when negotiating with cornerback Jaylon Johnson. No one enjoys going down that road, even if it worked out in the end for Chicago.
The transition tag is a one-year offer that represents the cap percentage average of the ten largest prior year salaries for players at the position, whereas the franchise tags each use a different formula centered the top-5 salaries at a certain position group over a different time span.
Players hit with the transition tag can negotiate with other teams. If they like what another team has to offer more than the tag itself, they then sign said team's offer sheet and see if their current employer matches it. If they don't, then the player walks and their former employer doesn't receive any draft compensation in return. So in this case, if the Chiefs were to match the Bears' offer – Smith stays in KC.
Per Over The Cap, 2025's transition tag in is projected to be $22.745 million, which is less than the franchise tag, but would still make Smith the NFL's highest-paid interior offensive lineman (on an AAV basis) for the upcoming season.
The transition tag is really rare. Only six players have received it since 2014, including New England Patriots safety Kyle Dugger last offseason. The last time the Bears had to deal with the transition tag was on the other side when they placed the tag on cornerback Kyle Fuller in 2018. Fuller was given a lucrative offer sheet by the Green Bay Packers, but the Bears matched the offer of a four-year, $56 million extension.
What Does This Mean For The Bears and Trey Smith?
It means the Bears would have a small, but effective, blueprint when it comes to signing Smith.
Knowing Smith's "APY" is set at the tag number, Ryan Poles and Co. would then be able to formulate a contract that is much more enticing than the one-year deal from the Chiefs. They might come up with a deal that's lower than the $22.745 per year "average" associated with the tag, but contains tens of millions of dollars in guaranteed-at-signing form and other guarantees that trigger a couple of years in advance. Landon Dickerson, who's currently the highest-paid interior offensive lineman, received almost $30 million guaranteed as soon as pen hit paper, which is obviously higher than $22.745 million.
That essentially means the Bears need to offer a deal that would price Kansas City out and the good part is they know what the "floor" is. We already know the floor would be around that $22 million per year, but the Bears can add more guarantees to their offer sheet to entice Smith and discourage the Chiefs from matching it given their own cap situation.
If the Chiefs do use the transition tag, the Bears will have part of the structure already in place to make a deal. They just need to make it work where they don't massively overpay, but overpay just enough to get the Chiefs to bail and still come out on top.
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