The Chiefs franchise-tagged Smith in an effort to work out a long-term deal. The tag pays him $23.4 million fully guaranteed, effectively making Smith the NFL’s highest-paid guard. With Joe Thuney gone and the free agent offensive line market drying up, the Chiefs are trying to hang on to their best lineman. Signing the tag means Smith will likely play this season as he tries to get a top-of-the-market contract from Kansas City.

These two beat reporters cover the Bears, who are in the market for help up front, rather than the Chiefs. But it is notable that the scuttlebutt at the combine is that the Chiefs will simply keep Smith. They quote a longtime agent saying that he “can’t see the Chiefs letting [Smith] go,” and state that the consensus amongst people they talked to at the event is that Smith would stay with Kansas City. The franchise tag will at the very least buy the Chiefs plenty of time to work on a long-term deal with Smith to stay.

Had he hit free agency, Smith would have been viewed as the best guard on the market and one of the top players overall. For now, the Pro Bowl guard will remain with the Chiefs on the franchise tag, which would pay out $23.4 million in 2025, but the Chiefs hope to get a long-term deal done with Smith in the near future. Smith was a sixth-round pick of the Chiefs in 2021 and has been among the league’s best guards since entering the league. Last season he earned a PFF grade of 78.8 and a run blocking grade of 80.8 — the seventh-highest grade of any guard in the league (min. 500 snaps). It wouldn’t be surprising to see Smith and the Chiefs agree to a long-term deal before the start of the season.

Pro Football Focus graded Smith as a top-15 guard in 2024. He has been in the league for four years and has never fallen below that rank. Smith is one of the top impending free agents, but the Chiefs may not let him get one foot out the door. They will work on a new deal as free agency approaches and could place a tag on him if nothing materializes. ESPN’s Adam Schefter previously reported that Smith is a candidate for the transition tag. In addition to the one-year contract, that would allow Smith to seek a deal from other teams which Kansas City then gets the right to match.