An earlier report today discussed how, despite the difficulty the Chiefs would face in adding another eight-figure-per-year deal to their ledger, general manager Brett Veach felt “pretty optimistic” about extending right guard Trey Smith to a long-term deal. An even more recent report from Nate Taylor of The Athletic tell us that there’s “growing optimism” that Kansas City will sign Smith to a five-year deal soon.

Taylor dropped the news on the Only Weird Games podcast, changing the perspective a bit on the Chiefs’ chances to extend their impressive young guard. Depending on the franchise tag statuses of quarterback Sam Darnold and wide receiver Tee Higgins, Smith has a chance to land one of the largest contracts (per annual average value) in free agency this offseason.

Coming into 2025, the Chiefs already have Patrick Mahomes ($45MM per year), Chris Jones ($31.75MM), Jawaan Taylor ($20MM), Creed Humphrey ($18MM), Joe Thuney ($16MM), and potentially Travis Kelce ($17.13MM) on deals averaging eight figures per year. With three of those big salaries already coming along the offensive line and all but one on the offensive side of the ball, it seemed relatively unlikely that we would see Kansas City dedicate yet another big-money, long-term deal to that particular area of the team. Nevertheless, Taylor seems to be indicating that it’s more likely than we presumed.

Since getting drafted in the sixth round in 2021, Smith has consistently been a top-15 guard in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), grading out as high as the 10th-best guard in the league last year. It took him until this year to be recognized for those efforts, as he earned his first career Pro Bowl invite in 2024, though two Super Bowl rings are probably decent consolation.

We have heard plenty about the Smith situation over the past several months. The Bears have been linked to reuniting him with Ryan Poles, who was on the Chiefs’ staff when they drafted Smith. The Chiefs are not expected to tag the guard, as the position is rarely tagged, due to all offensive linemen being grouped together under the tag formula, meaning that tackles drive up the tag prices for guards. The team will have until 11am CT on March 10 to negotiate exclusively with Smith’s camp. Considering Smith has made it this far, it would take a monster offer to keep him from speaking with other teams.

While the “growing optimism” is surely encouraging, the Chiefs have work to do. It sounds like the groundwork is being laid to establish Smith as the right guard of the future in Kansas City, but they have not crossed the finish line yet. The upcoming NFL Scouting Combine serves as an unofficial tampering period, and the Pro Bowl blocker will probably learn more about who is interested this week while getting an idea of his value. A deal that eclipses Landon Dickerson‘s guard-record extension (four years, $84MM) should be expected, as the cap is again spiking by more than $20MM, and Smith will have the leverage of a tantalizing open market that is sure to reward him handsomely.

Regardless, it seems that things are trending in the right direction for Kansas City to hold on to their talented, consistent, young guard. The sooner they can push this deal across the finish line, the better for the team. Either way, Smith is fast on his way to securing the big bucks and solidifying himself as a household name in the NFL.