If Trey Smith is as high an offseason priority for general manager Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears as fans and those in the media believe, the franchise may need to begin at least considering backup plans.
It is no secret that the Bears’ top organizational priority this offseason has to be fortifying the offensive line in front of quarterback Caleb Williams, who survived a barrage of 68 sacks as a rookie in 2024, if Chicago’s offense is going to make any strides under new head coach Ben Johnson and the former No. 1 overall pick is going to take any steps in his development.
How Kansas City Chiefs may be able to keep Trey Smith from Chicago Bears’ grasp
One reason Smith seems like such a realistic option for the Bears, is the fact that Chicago is projected to begin the offseason with upwards of $53.9 million in effective cap space, while the Chiefs are currently $2.6 million over the cap.
Any deal the Chiefs make with Smith would likely need to spread his money across multiple seasons, and likely backload his contract.
However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter suggests that the Chiefs could use the more affordable Transition Tag on Smith, rather than applying the franchise tag before free agency begins.
This year, the offensive line transition tag is $22.74 million, compared to the $25.15 million franchise tag salary.
Either way, the Chiefs would need to get themselves cap-compliant before even thinking about tagging Smith, but that could come simply by restructuring quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ contract to create added cap space.
The Bears, though, may need to be considering contingency plans in case the Chiefs wind up doing what is necessary to keep Smith in Kansas City.
Chicago Bears named as ‘top fit’ for the No. 26 free agent in 2025
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