The Kansas City Chiefs fell one win shy of three straight Super Bowl wins and NFL history, and that happened for one clear and obvious reason — a porous offensive line that couldn’t protect Patrick Mahomes or help generate a running game of any kind.

And while the Chiefs will enter this offseason with an eye toward fixing that problem, they are likely to take at least one big step backwards before making any meaningful progress.

That step is represented by the free agency of offensive guard Trey Smith, a two-time Super Bowl champion who also earned Pro Bowl honors last season. Mina Kimes and Kevin Clark predicted on the Wednesday, Feb. 19 edition of

“The Mina Kimes Show Featuring Lenny” podcast that Smith will depart in free agency after four very successful years in Kansas City as a sixth-round pick out of Tennessee.

Kansas City Chiefs offensive guard Trey Smith. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images “I just think they have so many holes. It’s hard for me to guess, but I’m gonna guess Trey Smith walks,” Clark said. “He’s gonna be so expensive.”

Both Kimes and Clark further predicted that Smith will command north of $100 million on a five-year contract upon hitting the open market.

“It’s just the price,” Kimes responded. “And I don’t think the [franchise] tag is an option.”

That the Chiefs can’t afford to use the tag on Smith and also address their other free agency needs adequately is a problem. That there are a number of franchises in need of precisely what Smith provides an offensive line exacerbates the issue further.

“There’s quite a few teams I could think of that need interior offensive line help that might be willing to break the bank,” Kimes added.

Among those franchises are the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings, both of which sit near the top of the NFL in available 2025 salary cap space.