Former Tennessee Vol Trey Smith could be in position to set NFL history in a very enviable way
Former Tennesse Vols standout Trey Smith has had quite the NFL career thus far. The 2021 sixth round pick of the Chiefs has quickly become an integral part of Kansas City's front protecting superstar Patrick Mahomes. Smith has earned two straight Super Bowl rings for his troubles. He's about to earn a whole lot more […]
Former Tennesse Vols standout Trey Smith has had quite the NFL career thus far. The 2021 sixth round pick of the Chiefs has quickly become an integral part of Kansas City's front protecting superstar Patrick Mahomes. Smith has earned two straight Super Bowl rings for his troubles.
He's about to earn a whole lot more than that this year.
Smith will be an unrestricted free agent after the conclusion of the season, and he will command a huge contract from someone. How big? Potentially record-setting.
Pro Football Focus and Bleacher Report have both put out their lists of top 50 free agents at the end of the season. Both have Smith as the #2 overall player and top offensive lineman.
Here's what PFF had to say about Smith:
Smith's 80.4 PFF overall grade currently ranks 10th among all guards this season, and he will still be only 25 years old when free agency opens. That's a good combination for a big payday, given that multiple players at the position signed deals at or exceeding $20 million per year in 2024.
The complicated element when projecting a contract for Smith is the reason he fell to the end of the sixth round in the 2021 NFL Draft: He was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs. On the field, he is every bit of a prized free agent. Factoring in his health is the key question.
PFF mentions Smith's prior issue with blood clots, which required him to miss time when he was at Tennessee. However, that hasn't been an issue for him after four seasons in the NFL, so perhaps that won't hinder his contract offer.
Speaking of contracts, Smith should be in line to earn the highest contract in NFL history for a guard this offseason. Philadelphia's Landon Dickerson signed a contract extension 10 months ago that made him the highest paid guard on a per year basis at 4 years, $84 million. Robert Hunt signed a 5-year, $100 million deal with Carolina around that time as well.
Those should be the starting points for Smith. If he surpasses the average annual value of Dickerson's deal ($21 million), which he should, he could find himself with a total contract offer in excess of $100 million dollars. Not too shabby.
It's possible that Kansas City tries to keep him in town. However, the Chiefs have the ninth-lowest available cap space in the league at $19.9 million ($4.6 million effective space), per OverTheCap.com. Many more teams will be in position to give him a huge deal, including Chicago and New England, who are top five in the league in cap space for 2025.
We'll find out just how hot the pursuit is of Smith when free agency opens up in March.
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