Windy City Gridiron
KC still hopes to re-sign Smith to a long-term deal.
The Chicago Bears’ No. 1 free agency target is one step closer to hitting the open market.
According to Nate Taylor of The Athletic, the Kansas City Chiefs do not plan to tag star guard Trey Smith, setting the stage for him to become an unrestricted free agent if they can’t agree to a contract extension.
“Smith is expected to be the most coveted offensive lineman this year in free agency. The Chiefs are not expected to place the franchise tag or the transition tag on Smith, according to a league source,” Taylor writes.
“Instead, the Chiefs should do their best to keep one of their best players by offering Smith a four- or five-year contract.”
This news comes after multiple reports claimed the Cincinnati Bengals would use the franchise tag on standout receiver Tee Higgins while they work on a new contract, following the opening of the tag deadline on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs would certainly like to keep Smith, one of their better players and a key offensive lineman in front of Patrick Mahomes, but his projected price tag (four years, $82 million) might make that a difficult proposition for a team without much cap space to play with and other important players in need of paydays.
Enter the Bears (hopefully).
Chicago has the sixth-most effective cap space in the league (just over $61 million), a clear hole at both guard positions, an offensive roster with a lot of solid pieces in place already, and new head coach Ben Johnson, making them a prime landing spot for Smith.
The ballooning salary cap could help the Chiefs keep Smith in town, so you can’t count on him making it to free agency just yet.
But if he’s ready to make life-changing money elsewhere, the Bears should be first in line.
