{"id":138561,"date":"2025-06-18T02:57:14","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T02:57:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/138561\/"},"modified":"2025-06-18T02:57:14","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T02:57:14","slug":"kansas-city-chiefs-risk-sabotaging-patrick-mahomes-super-bowl-hopes-by-delaying-23-million-trey-smith-deal-nfl-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/138561\/","title":{"rendered":"Kansas City Chiefs risk sabotaging Patrick Mahomes’ Super Bowl hopes by delaying $23 million Trey Smith deal | NFL News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"KansasChiefs face a July 15 deadline to secure a long-term deal with offensive guard Trey Smith (Getty Images) As the Kansas City Chiefs prepare for another high-stakes NFL<\/a> season, one name looms large in the team’s offseason strategy: Trey Smith<\/a>. The 25-year-old offensive guard is currently playing under a non-exclusive franchise tag worth $23.4 million. While that figure ensures Smith’s short-term presence, it leaves significant uncertainty for the long-term future of both the player and the franchise.<\/p>\n

The franchise tag may not be enough to keep Patrick Mahomes protected for long<\/p>\n

The Chiefs now face a crucial July 15 deadline to negotiate a long-term deal with Smith. If they fail, he\u2019ll play the upcoming season under the hefty one-year tag\u2014without any guarantee of staying beyond it.Last season\u2019s crushing 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX exposed serious flaws in the Chiefs’ offensive line. Despite Patrick Mahomes\u2019 brilliance, he was constantly under siege, struggling to make plays as the Eagles\u2019 defense dismantled the protection unit.NFL analyst Kristopher Knox from Bleacher Report didn\u2019t mince words when he called attention to the issue. \u201cThe Kansas City Chiefs have remained in the Super Bowl picture ever since Patrick Mahomes took over as their starting quarterback. However, offensive deficiencies loomed large during Kansas City’s 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX,” Knox wrote. “The Chiefs’ offensive line was particularly problematic, as the Eagles defense consistently harassed Mahomes and shut down almost everything Kansas City did offensively.\u201dThat performance served as a wake-up call. For the Chiefs, the message is clear: Mahomes may be the engine, but without solid protection, even the most elite quarterbacks can be neutralized.<\/p>\n

A long-term deal for Trey Smith could define the Chiefs\u2019 next chapter<\/p>\n

Trey Smith is not just any guard. Since entering the NFL, he\u2019s proven to be a foundational piece of Kansas City\u2019s offensive front. Locking him into a multi-year deal would not only provide Mahomes with a trusted protector but also reinforce the team\u2019s commitment to offensive excellence.Knox added, \u201cReloading the line is this year’s top offseason priority. The remaining work must start with an extension for guard Trey Smith, who is currently set to play on the franchise tag. The Chiefs have until July 15 to negotiate a long-term deal with the 25-year-old, which they have planned to do since giving him the tag.\u201dAlso Read: \u201cStill going to fear him\u201d: Despite lowest stats of career, Travis Kelce gets fierce support from Emmanuel Acho<\/a>Fans and analysts agree\u2014relying solely on the franchise tag could backfire. Losing Smith after the 2025 season would be a step backward for a team still chasing greatness. The Chiefs have just weeks to act. The clock is ticking, and so is Mahomes’ trust in the line meant to protect him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Chiefs face a July 15 deadline to secure a long-term deal with offensive guard Trey Smith (Getty Images)…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":138562,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2063],"tags":[346,7,32472,118,110,32473,2438,2437,6,32471,453,499,10302,1216],"class_list":{"0":"post-138561","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-kansas-city-chiefs","8":"tag-chiefs","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-franchise-tag","11":"tag-kansas-city","12":"tag-kansas-city-chiefs","13":"tag-kansas-city-chiefs-offensive-line","14":"tag-kansascity","15":"tag-kansascitychiefs","16":"tag-nfl","17":"tag-nfl-offseason-strategy","18":"tag-offensive-lineman","19":"tag-patrick-mahomes","20":"tag-super-bowl-lix","21":"tag-trey-smith"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114702125901990933","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138561","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138561"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138561\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/138562"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138561"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138561"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138561"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}