The visceral taste of the Super Bowl LIX beating the Kansas City Chiefs took from the Philadelphia Eagles seems to still be in KC.
Patrick Mahomes got beat up for four quarters, and general manager Brett Veach knew he had to act in the offseason.
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Head coach Andy Reid gets to keep Smith in Kansas City for a long timeCredit: Getty
Look no further than the historic $94 million investment the organization just made to one of Mahomes’ biggest protectors.
The Chiefs have extended Pro Bowl guard Trey Smith to a four-year, $94 million deal that includes $70 million guaranteed and makes him the highest-paid guard in NFL history.
It is also the highest-average annual salary and the most guaranteed money ever awarded to an NFL guard.
Veach and head coach Andy Reid don’t want to see their franchise quarterback on his back, like he was over and over again in the Super Bowl, to the tune of six sacks and a handful of more pressures.
Smith will help with that.
He was originally a sixth-round pick in 2021 out of Tennessee and quickly became a starter, earning the trust of the coaching staff and his quarterback.
Smith would help the Chiefs win back-to-back Super Bowls in 2022 and 2023, while having the best season of his career to date in 2024 while making his first Pro Bowl.
The Chiefs inked Smith to a long term extension moments before the trade deadline to do so, as they had already designated the $23.4 million franchise tag on their standout offensive lineman.
Now Smith can head into the season with peace of mind, knowing his long-term future is secured.
And for the first time in over two years, the Chiefs will head into the year without the designation as defending champs.
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Smith has protected Mahomes for the last four seasonsCredit: Getty
Meanwhile, Reid has sent a message to his team as the 2025 season approaches, specifically to Smith and the offense and wanting to kick it into high-gear right away. Just ask wide receiver Xavier Worthy.
“Coach Reid told us during OTAs Phase 1, ‘When you come back, get your hamstrings ready,’ ” Worthy told Kay Adams during an appearance on FanDuel TV’s “Up and Adams” show.
“So, we kind of knew that we were going to be going a little deep during practice. We kind of got our bodies and our minds ready for what we’re going to be doing in practice.
Reid wants to get that sour taste from last year’s ending out of their mouths, and he’s ready to start fast, and Worthy will be a big piece to that, with an expected jump in responsibility and production as he heads into Year 2.
“I feel like they started using me a lot underneath,” Worthy said, “and I can get started over the top because me and Pat are building that rapport together.
“We’re going to build it in training camp. We got it going at the end of the Super Bowl a little bit, so that was a great feeling to be able to connect deep towards the end of the year.”
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Worthy knows what his quarterback wants out of him.
“He really just wants you to get open,” Worthy said of Mahomes.
“But it’s really about understanding the route and what freedom you have in the route. Sometimes, you have a route that you don’t have freedom, and you have to run as is.
“Or, you have a little bit of freedom, but you have to stay on a little bit of timing.”
With Smith back in the fold at guard, that only strengthens a potential deadly offense in KC.
For the first time in what feels like forever, the Chiefs aren’t heading into the season as the hunted. Watch out.