Whoever first said that comparison is the thief of joy was clearly not a sports blogger. Whenever any news breaks, it immediately becomes a referendum on the entire league. Was this a good idea? Would your team’s GM do that? What does the official OverTheCap X account have to say? News isn’t nearly as important as the reactions that follow.
So, naturally, the story about Kansas City making guard Trey Smith the highest-paid guard in the NFL is actually about the Bears. (Remember when Smith was going to sign with Chicago? Yeah, no, me neither.) The news dropped on Tuesday afternoon, about three minutes before the Jets decided to swoop in and steal the spotlight with their own record-breaking extension. And you might think, ‘Wow, good for the Chiefs, that’s a good deal for a good player at an important position.’ But you’d be wrong; the only winners of this deal are the Chicago Bears. They’re so back.
The Joe Thuney trade looks even better after Chiefs’ new mega-deal for Trey Smith
Chiefs, OL Trey Smith finalizing 4-year, $94M extension with $70M guranteed to make him the highest-paid guard in the NFL. (via @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/wSVBUrGPnu
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1945178150402506972?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Warning: I’m going to use PFF stats here. It is what it is. Last year, Smith finished with a 75.1 overall grade on PFF, which is very good – 14th best in the league, in fact. He’s got that nice dark green square next to his name. On the same offensive line, one Creed Humphrey-sized position over, was Thuney, who played all 17 games on his way to a First Team All-Pro nomination and a Top-10 Offensive Player of the Year finish. His PFF grade? 80.0, 7th best in football. His little square is even darker and greener than Smith’s. Guess which one the Chiefs traded?!
Age obviously plays a role – Smith is six years younger than Thuney – but still, I’m not sure people really understand just how good Thuney is playing right now. And while the Chiefs are paying Smith at least $25 million per season starting in 2026, Thuney’s cap hit sits right around $21 million at the same time (they’re both due sizable raises following this season).
Both are smart deals for good players, but that sort of harmony simply isn’t how it works in the NFL. Today, without a shadow of a doubt, we can officially declare that the Bears fleeced the Chiefs. Weigh that against the 2017 Draft, and I’d call it a tie.
