When the offseason started, the Kansas City Chiefs had two primary goals in mind: get Patrick Mahomes some help and fortify the offensive line. The second of the two truly took precedent as the first mostly centered on the team getting healthier and building on their experience.
But the offensive line proved a serious concern especially in Super Bowl LIX. Mahomes took six sacks in a game where Kansas City was dominated up front by a ferocious Philadelphia Eagles line.
The Chiefs not only needed to find pieces through free agency and the draft, they had to maintain a budding star holding this unit together. Right guard Trey Smith was projected to be one of the top free agents available this spring.
A projected gaudy price tag was also set to push him out of reach for the Chiefs, balancing the pursuit of other pieces for their reload. Luckily, an unexpected jump of $10 million in the league's salary cap saved them.
This ended up giving the Chiefs the freedom to return Smith for another year on the franchise tag. To make all ends meet, they traded away Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears as noted by ESPN insider Adam Teicher.
“They didn't think they were going to be able to keep Trey Smith on the franchise tag or otherwise, or with a long-term deal. They just sort of thought that that was not going to happen.
"So I think at that point, Joe Thuney and maybe extending him was more a part of their plan. But when the salary cap came in about $10 million more than what the Chiefs were planning on, they said, 'OK, we're going to shift and we can keep Trey Smith.' But to do that, they were going to have to let Joe Thuney go. So they sort of made this choice.”
This has given the Chiefs one more year to buy the time on a long-term deal with Smith. Coming off a Pro Bowl season in 2024, many expect him to continue to add to his resumé as one of the premier guards in the league.
Kansas City undeniably caught a break here and has gone on to add Jaylen Moore and Josh Simmons to the line during the offseason. They will need to see these pieces mesh on the field, but it is a promising makeover for this group having kept their most essential piece up front.