ClutchPoints
Following their disappointing loss in Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Kansas City Chiefs are in a peculiar spot heading into the 2025 NFL offseason. With a slew of free agents ready to hit the open market in 2025, the Chiefs must let go of some pieces, including at least one surprising roster cut — if not multiple.
Now, there’s a chance the Chiefs can manipulate the salary cap by restructuring certain contracts to ensure they have more money now, but there’s only so much manipulation they can do with the current deals on their books.
In fact, the Chiefs have six players on The 33rd Team’s top 100 free agents list, including the player who will likely be the team’s surprise roster cut: Trey Smith.
Of those six players in The 33rd Team’s top 100 list, Smith is the most likely to not return to the Chiefs, given the market value of his upcoming contract.
And based on Justin Reid’s post-game comments, he could be another player who doesn’t land back with the Chiefs in 2025.
Well, what could Smith’s upcoming contract look like? Great question!
In 2025, Smith is projected to sign a four-year, $78.8 million contract, earning an average of $19.7 million per season, per Spotrac.
If that’s indeed the contract he signs in free agency, that would make him the fourth-highest-paid offensive guard in the NFL according to Spotrac.
Here are the players Smith would be trailing:
Now, Smith can take a team-friendly deal to stay in Kansas City, but given the nature of the NFL, that’s not incredibly likely.
However, while blocking for Patrick Mahomes is certainly a spot many linemen would like to be, being one of the top free agents in the NFL comes with its pros, too, like making an absurd amount of money.
This is always the debate for players looking to hit free agency: Will they take less money to potentially win more, or will they chase the money?
In Smith’s spot, he could go the money route, landing him on a team like the Chicago Bears or Washington Commanders.
Both the Bears and Commanders have loads of cap space, setting them up for offering Smith contracts he can’t refuse.
Washington is going to be a hot name for free agents in the 2025 NFL offseason, given their $80.5 million in 2025 cap space, while Chicago has similar prestige, trailing them with $65.9 million, per Spotrac. Both of these teams rank within the top four teams...
