Trey Smith’s reign as the NFL’s highest-paid guard didn’t last long.
Two months after the Kansas City Chiefs rewarded Smith with a four-year, $94 million extension that reset the market at an average of $23.5 million per year, the Dallas Cowboys catapulted Tyler Smith to the top of that list with a four-year, $96 million contract averaging $24 million annually.
Tyler Smith’s deal also came with a massive $81.2 million in guarantees, which edged past Kansas City’s generosity to Trey Smith as well. Not that either player will care much about the pecking order, given the generational wealth involved for everyone.
A new T. Smith is the leader of the financial pack at guard these days.
For Trey Smith, the “short-lived” title is no matter, since his contract was a reflection of a remarkable story. The former sixth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft was once flagged for medical concerns—blood clots in his lungs at Tennessee—but he went on to start for the Chiefs from his first day on the job at right guard. Four years later, Smith has multiple championship rings and a Pro Bowl to show for his efforts, which is why the Chiefs rewarded him like they did.
For the Chiefs, it made sense to lock Smith in next to center Creed Humphrey, given that his prime years are ahead of him, but it’s also nice to view the extension as payback for an underappreciated job thus far. Smith’s rookie salary came in well below his on-field value for the Chiefs for the last four seasons. Those medical questions pushed him into day three of the draft, which kept his early-career earnings modest.
The Chiefs’ ability to keep Smith wasn’t a foregone conclusion last winter. The talented lineman would have been in high demand in free agency, which forced the Chiefs to use the franchise tag. However, it still felt like Smith could be tagged and traded in the same way the club handled cornerback L’Jarius Sneed’s free agency the previous spring.
However, when the NFL informed franchises that the salary cap was going to be significantly higher than expected, the Chiefs suddenly had the financial flexibility to pivot, even while juggling other big-ticket items on the ledger like Nick Bolton’s contract. In the end, the Chiefs’ deal with Smith provided a bright future along the interior and made the Tennessee product filthy rich.
Trey Smith’s hold on the title of NFL’s highest-paid guard might be over shortly before it began, but the NFL’s markets move fast these days. Tyler Smith’s tenure isn’t likely to last long either.
