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The Kansas City Chiefs emerged from their failed attempt at a three-peat in Super Bowl 59 with a clear mandate. The Chiefs need to protect Patrick Mahomes. After the Philadelphia Eagles made the All-World passer look mortal for the first time since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ had Mahomes running for his life in Super Bowl 55, the message was clear. Kansas City needs to prioritize the offensive line this offseason.
While the Chiefs are very likely to address this deficiency in the upcoming draft, the team will also look to free agency to bolster a line that held up about as well as wet newspaper against the Eagles’ ferocious front four. Philly’s defensive line was so utterly dominant that the team didn’t need to send a single blitz in the game and still managed 16 quarterback pressures and six sacks, wrecking the Chiefs’ passing game and, with it, any hope of a third straight championship.
Should Kansas City turn to free agency for help on the line, the team doesn’t have to look very far. Although the free agent offensive line class is deep this offseason, the prized interior lineman is homegrown talent Trey Smith, according to Nate Taylor of The Athletic. And the Chiefs should make retaining the right guard their top priority.
Kansas City got a bargain when it selected Smith in the sixth round of the 2021 draft. Now the Chiefs need to invest in their line by locking Smith up on a long-term contract. While using the franchise tag is a possibility, Kansas City is not expected to go that route as tagging the lineman will cost the team more than $25 million for one season. A four-year contract makes more sense for Smith, considering he’ll be just 26 years old at the start of the 2025 season.
Prior to the 2024 campaign, the Chiefs signed another lineman drafted in 2021, agreeing to a four-year deal with center Creed Humphrey. Retaining Smith would go a long way toward anchoring a line that’s essential to Mahomes reaching his full potential.
Smith figures to draw significant interest around the league this offseason. The Chicago Bears are considered legitimate suitors for his services with new head coach Ben Johnson hoping to keep quarterback Caleb Williams upright in 2025 after he took a league-leading 68 sacks in his rookie season. So it’s imperative the Chiefs keep Smith in the building.
Obviously, Kansas City has additional work to do in revamping its pass protection. Left tackle remains a position of need for the team. But the Chiefs don’t have much room when it comes to cap space as the team is currently 24th in the league with less than $8 million available. So the Chiefs aren’t in a position to go on a spending spree. Retaining Smith and filling out the line through the draft and savvy short-term deals seems to be the best course of action for Kansas City as...
