The Chicago Bears know they have to improve their offensive line this off-season before starting the process of helping Caleb Williams improve. One of the big hopes for many was Pro Bowl right guard Trey Smith being available when free agency arrived next month. He would’ve been an immediate upgrade for them. Sadly, it appears the market won’t cooperate. According to several insiders, the Kansas City Chiefs have placed the franchise tag on Smith, ensuring he will be under contract for the 2025 season.
This move isn’t overly surprising. Kansas City’s offensive line was completely wrecked by the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl. Watching that happen and then letting one of your best blockers go in free agency doesn’t seem like the responsible thing to do. Most believe the Chiefs hope to hammer out a long-term extension with him. As for the Bears, their plans will shift to other possible names on the market.
The Chicago Bears still have some interesting names to consider.
One can start with Kevin Zeitler. The longtime veteran was excellent in Detroit under Ben Johnson over the past couple of years. Bringing him in on a short-term deal would make sense. Evan Brown just had a great season in Arizona as their left guard. He also played under Johnson in Detroit. Mekhi Becton just won a Super Bowl in Philadelphia after switching from tackle. Probably the biggest wild card is Will Fries. The Indianapolis Colts guard was off to the best start of his career in 2024 before an injury ended his season. He is only 27 years old. The Chicago Bears may seem him as a risk-reward option.
Smith coming off the market likely means their focus will shift more towards the draft to solve the offensive line issues. Experts believe this is a good year for interior blockers. The Bears can probably find a couple of starters between the 1st and 3rd rounds. GM Ryan Poles seems confident in his ability to do so. He better be.
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This is great news as it keeps them from blowing 20m+ on a slightly above average guard.
A month ago, I warned that KC would take steps necessary to keep Smith by restructuring Mahomes contract to create $39mil or franchise tag him. So, with Kelce announcing he’s coming back and Smith tagged, the Chiefs will have to make several cuts and/or restructure Mahomes deal to keep Smith and Kelce. Smith will be paid $20mil even though he’s not a Top 5 guard. Bears can target Zeitler or Becton. Silver Lining: we can go after top DEs and more FAs now. Don’t you think merit pay would be better based on actual production? PFF-like metrics, stats and accolades… Read more »
I would have signed him, as I will take an overpriced good-to-great guard as bad as our OL has been. So would KC, apparently, albeit to a 1-year deal(for now). They have to spend their money at some point, and teams figure out the cap pretty easily nowadays.
That being said, I am not heartbroken over it.
I was hoping they’d tag him … over priced in a mediocre market
Good news…! No way this guy is worth $22 Million a year, we all saw what happened in the Superbowl.
Now that we’ve dodged that bullet, let the real work on acquiring 3 starters for the O-Line begin.