Trey Smith is a football guard who plays for the Kansas City Chiefs. He was drafted in 2021 by the franchise straight out of the Tennessee Volunteers college football team. The 2025 NFL season did not go well for his franchise, as they finished the season 6-11 and missed the playoffs.
It was their worst season in recent history, and has prompted a lot of changes. Smith recently admitted that he lost sleep over something important.
Smith recently talked about the intense mental and physical demands of the NFL, specifically protecting Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes is widely considered one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Therefore, Smith has to be vigilant with his duties on the field to allow the quarterback to perform well.
Nov 17, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is pressured by Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau (50) who’s being blocked by guard Trey Smith (65) in the third quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
In an [interview with Chris Long on the Green Light podcast](https://x.com/greenlight/status/2039757840055717920?s=20), he said that his duties caused him to lose sleep. He said, “I’ll put it like this: I’ve lost a lot of f\*\*\*ing nights of sleep thinking about getting him hit.”
He added, “I remember when I first started playing, like rookie year, I started just like, damn, I got to block for Pat Mahomes, man. I’ve got to make sure I’m sharp, like damn, this team just won a Super Bowl not too long ago. So it’s like that added stress or pressure; that’s a good thing at the end of the day because it causes you to perform at the highest level and really tune in your stuff, man, not just go out there on BS.”
Smith then praised Mahomes, “Our O-line coach, Andy Heck, would always tell me, especially at an early age, like, man, don’t let the egg timer in your head go off. Like this dude is the best at extending plays no matter what happens. Like he’s going to get it done. So however long it takes to block the dude, you just gotta f\*\*\*ing do it because it’s Pat. He’s going to make a play happen.” Smith’s journey to the NFL was not easy, as he had a major health scare in his college days.
During his sophomore year at the University of Tennessee in 2018, Smith faced a life-threatening health crisis. It was discovered that he had blood clots in both lungs, after he was struggling with fatigue and shortness of breath during workouts. If not found and left untreated, it could have been fatal.
He managed to overcome the problem, as he underwent six months of anticoagulant medication and specialist care. There was a brief recurrence later that year, and he had to miss games due to the condition which caused much doubt over his future career. He managed to get healthy and fit, and later partnered with the National Blood Clot Alliance to raise awareness.
Trey Smith will have to prepare for the 2026 NFL season, as Patrick Mahomes will be depending on him once more.