Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. And in the case of the Chicago Bears and their expected pursuit of Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowl guard Trey Smith in 2025 NFL free agency, it’s a four-alarm blaze.
Smith is expected to secure the largest contract ever signed by a guard this offseason, with league insiders believing the Chiefs won’t be able to lock him into the market-value deal he’s earned through his elite play over four seasons.
While Kansas City could use the franchise tag to keep him for another season, it’s not expected. Instead, Smith is on a fast track to unrestricted free agency, and the Bears are ready to pounce.
In the latest analysis of likely landing spots for top free agents featured in Super Bowl 59, the Bears were projected as the team most likely to sign Smith.
“Yes, the Kansas City Chiefs offensive line struggled during Super Bowl LIX,” Bleacher Report wrote. “But Smith wasn’t the major issue. Meanwhile, he’s been one of the game’s most physical and intimidating blockers for the last four seasons. Smith gets to enter the market at 25 years old, while the Chiefs seemingly made their decision when the organization agreed to a deal where Creed Humphrey became the highest-paid center of all time.”
Trey Smith is a no-brainer for the Chicago Bears
Bears general manager Ryan Poles is facing a rare offseason opportunity that most NFL teams don’t get. It’s not often a team can address its biggest need by landing one of the league’s top players at the position, who’s just entering his prime, without giving up draft picks in a trade.
Instead, all Poles has to do is pay up for Trey Smith. And it’ll cost a pretty penny.
Smith is projected to ink a five-year, $105 million contract. The Bears have ample salary cap space to offer a deal like that, provided they’re willing to invest top dollar in a guard, a position that, until recently, wasn’t considered premier.
But after a season in which Caleb Williams was sacked 68 times and faced consistent interior pressure, a player like Smith would be worth every penny (and then some) to insure the team’s prized quarterback has a chance to reach his maximum upside.
I don’t want to jump the gun, but it’s hard to see any scenario where the Bears don’t sign Smith if he hits free agency. Poles, who was part of the Chiefs front office that drafted Smith in 2021, has a connection to him. Plus, Smith was a college teammate of Darnell Wright. They’re buddies. Most importantly, the Bears have the money. And money will be the most significant factor in wherever Smith ends up.
All signs are pointing to Trey Smith joining the Chicago Bears. Now, it’s up to Poles to ensure he doesn’t miss the opportunity.
