Trey Smith is a monster. Honestly, if you watch the Kansas City Chiefs on any given Sunday, you’ll see #65 burying some 300-pound defensive tackle into the turf before the whistle even blows. But there’s a weird disconnect between how the NFL sees him and how the average fan does.
For a long time, the narrative was that he was a "steal." A sixth-round pick who outplayed his draft position. That’s old news now. In 2026, Trey Smith Kansas City Chiefs isn’t just a draft-day bargain; he is the financial and physical anchor of a dynasty, and the numbers behind his current status are absolutely staggering.
Most people still talk about him like the kid with the medical red flags. You’ve probably heard the story: blood clots at Tennessee, falling to the 226th pick, the Chiefs taking a flyer on him. But that "flyer" turned into a four-year, $94 million contract extension signed in July 2025. He didn't just get paid. He became, at the time of signing, the highest-paid guard in NFL history.
The $94 Million Bet: Why the Chiefs Went All In
NFL teams don’t hand out $70 million in total guarantees to "serviceable" players. They just don't. Brett Veach, the Chiefs' GM, is notorious for being cold-blooded when it comes to the salary cap. He traded Tyreek Hill. He let L'Jarius Sneed walk. Yet, he backed up the Brink’s truck for Trey Smith.
Why?
It’s about the "Mahomes Insurance."
Look at the stats from the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Smith has logged over 1,000 snaps per year with a durability that defies his college medical reports. In 2024, he allowed zero sacks. Think about that. In a league where edge rushers are faster than ever, a right guard didn't let a single soul touch his quarterback for an entire season.
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By the time 2026 rolled around, Smith’s cap hit jumped to $24,495,277. That is a massive chunk of change for an interior lineman. To put it in perspective, his base salary for this year is nearly $20 million. Some critics argue that paying a guard this much is roster-building suicide. They’re wrong.
The Chiefs' offense has evolved. It’s less about the deep bomb to a track star and more about "bully ball." Smith is the primary bully. He’s the guy pulling on power runs and creating the "pancake" blocks that show up on every Travis Kelce highlight reel. Without Smith, the interior of that pocket collapses, and Patrick Mahomes becomes a track star himself—not by choice, but because he’s running for his life.
The Medical Ghost That Still Haunts the Narrative
If you search for Trey Smith today, you’ll still find articles worrying about his lungs. It’s the "medical ghost" that follows him. Back at the University of Tennessee, Smith had a terrifying ordeal where he passed out during conditioning. Doctors found blood clots in both lungs.
He literally thought he was done. "My career was completely over in my mind," he told the New Heights podcast recently.
He had to follow a medical plan that was basically unheard of in football: taking blood thinners every day but Friday, then suiting up on Saturdays without practicing. It sounds insane because it was. Most NFL teams saw that history and ran the other way in 2021.
But the Chiefs' medical staff, led by Dr. Michael Monaco and Rick Burkholder, did something the rest of the league wouldn't. They looked at the scar tissue. They realized the "recurrence" wasn't actually new clots, but old damage. They cleared him. Since then, he has started 80 of 81 possible games. The "risk" hasn't just been managed; it’s been obliterated.
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What the 2025 PFF Grades Actually Tell Us
Statistics in the NFL are kind of a lie if you don't have context. If you look at Trey Smith's 2025 PFF (Pro Football Focus) grades, you might see a 68.5 overall and think, "Wait, is he regressing?"
Not quite.
Smith’s pass-blocking grade in 2025 sat at a robust 75.1, ranking him 10th among all guards. He only allowed one sack the entire year. The reason his "overall" grade looks lower is the run-blocking metric, which PFF dinged him on last season (63.0).
But here’s what the scouts see that the algorithms miss:
- The "Intimidation" Factor: Defenses play the Chiefs differently because of the Smith/Humphrey combo.
- Second-Level Blocking: Smith is 6’6” and 330 pounds, but he moves like a tight end when he’s hunting linebackers in space.
- Leadership: With Joe Thuney’s departure and various injuries across the line, Smith is now the "old man" of the group at 26.
He’s currently one of only five linemen in the league with over 2,500 pass-blocking snaps to yield fewer than 10 total sacks over a five-year span. That’s elite. Period.
The 2026 Financial Reality
The Chiefs are in a tight spot now. Because Smith is earning so much, there’s constant chatter about whether he’s "tradeable." In March 2026, his 2027 salary becomes fully guaranteed.
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If the Chiefs wanted to move him, they’d save about $11 million in a pre-June 1 trade. But who replaces him? The roster is thin. They only have a handful of draft picks this year, and none in the early rounds. Moving Smith would be like taking the foundation out of a skyscraper to save money on the windows. It doesn't make sense.
Expert Nuance: Is He Worth the Price?
There’s a legitimate argument that no guard is worth $23.5 million a year (his average annual value). The "positional value" crowd will tell you to draft a rookie and spend that money on a pass rusher.
However, the Chiefs aren't a normal team. They are chasing a third or even fourth Super Bowl in this window. You don't experiment with your quarterback’s safety during a championship run. Smith’s value isn't just in his PFF grade; it’s in the fact that Mahomes trusts him implicitly. When the game is on the line in the fourth quarter, Mahomes isn't looking at the right guard—and that’s the highest compliment you can pay an offensive lineman.
Actionable Insights for Chiefs Fans and Analysts
If you’re tracking the Trey Smith Kansas City Chiefs situation this season, keep these three things in mind:
- Watch the "Three-Day" Window: Keep an eye on the third day of the 2026 league year. Once that passes, his 2027 money locks in, and he’s effectively a Chief for the next two seasons regardless of trade rumors.
- Monitor the Run-Blocking Scheme: If the Chiefs transition to more zone-running, Smith’s "bully" style might see more PFF variance. If they stay with power-gap schemes, he will continue to dominate.
- The Pro Bowl Narrative: Smith has been a Pro Bowler for two straight years (2024, 2025). If he makes it three in a row, he’s no longer just a "good starter"—he’s entering the Hall of Fame trajectory conversation.
Trey Smith is no longer the underdog. He's the standard. Whether you love the contract or hate the cap hit, you can't argue with the results: two rings and a quarterback who stays clean. That's worth every penny.
Next Steps: To get a full picture of the Chiefs' front line, you should look into Creed Humphrey's contract structure as well. The way these two deals are layered determines exactly how much "spending money" Brett Veach has for the 2026 free agency period. You might also want to check the latest injury reports for Josh Simmons, as his recovery will dictate whether Smith has to over-compensate on the right side of the line this fall.