Patrick Mahomes has been a catalyst for the Kansas City Chiefs’ dominance since he was drafted back in 2017. And while many will attribute his success to the presence of Andy Reid, as well as having Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill to throw the ball to, no one should underestimate how good their offensive line has been, despite being dominated by Tampa Bay’s defense in Super Bowl LV and Philadelphia’s defense in Super Bowl LIX in February.

However, their offensive line is undergoing some shakeup this offseason, and it could threaten their chances of returning to the Super Bowl. Veteran guard Trey Smith, who was to become a free agent this offseason, was tagged with the non-exclusive franchise tag this offseason. If no deal is reached by 4:00 PM ET on July 15, he’ll play the 2025 season under the one-year, $23.4 million tag, and contract negotiations will be frozen until after the season.

This comes after already trading guard Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears for their 2026 fourth-round pick this offseason. That kind of turnover could force Mahomes to operate behind a rebuilt and potentially less reliable unit, which could affect Mahomes both in the regular season and the postseason.

Trey Smith’s contract situation could put the Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes in a perilous situation

Even with Smith on the roster, the rest of the offensive line leaves a lot to be desired. Now imagine an offensive line without Smith? It could be even worse.

Here is what Pro Football Focus had to say in their offensive line ranking ahead of the 2025 season. The Chiefs were ranked No. 20 by the outlet.

“While the Chiefs will hope they solved their issues at left tackle via offseason moves, they may regret trading guard Joe Thuney. Free-agent acquisition Jaylon Moore and rookie first-round pick Josh Simmons are the candidates to protect Patrick Mahomes’ left side after Kansas City’s disastrous left tackle situation last season.

“The interior duo of center Creed Humphrey and right guard Trey Smith prevents this unit from ranking lower, but unless Moore or Simmons can step up immediately, we might see the worst Chiefs offensive line of recent years in 2025.”

The Chiefs had a revolving door at left tackle in 2024. Rookie Kingsley Suamataia, Wanya Morris, D.J. Humphries, and even Thuney had to play at left tackle. Jaylon Moore was signed to bring stability at left tackle, while they also drafted Simmons in the first round from Ohio State despite coming off a torn patellar tendon in his left knee.

Meanwhile, Suamataia is expected to slide over to guard and is expected to be the primary candidate to replace Thuney. It is hard to blame PFF for ranking them at 20th with this much uncertainty on the offensive line. That will give Smith more leverage in the contract extension.

Under general manager Brett Veach, the Chiefs have mastered the art of managing elite talent within a tight salary cap. But they cannot afford to lose Smith after next season like they did with Thuney. If the Chiefs want to keep their Super Bowl window open, locking down Smith is non-negotiable.

We’ve seen what happens when the Chiefs offensive line is not 100 percent during Super Bowl LIX. If the Chiefs don’t secure Smith to a long-term contract, their line is only going to get worse. It’s not often you can sign a stud offensive lineman as an undrafted free agent. The Chiefs did it with Smith before, but it’s unlikely they can pull it off again.