The top priority for Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles and new head coach Ben Johnson is to work as hard as possible to build an offensive line that can turn young quarterback Caleb Williams into a star. Signing Trey Smith would have been the ideal way to kick off this offensive retooling.
Smith, who has spent his whole pro career helping the Kansas City Chiefs compete for and win championships, was scheduled to be the belle of the free agent offensive linemen ball this offseason before Brett Veach stepped in.
The Chiefs will use their franchise tag on Smith, which will keep him in Kansas City for at least one more season and pay him $24 million. Smith will get a nice payday, while the Bears will be left at the altar once again.
Any offseason plan the Bears could have mapped out has to have included signing Smith at the top of their priority list. Free agency hasn't even started yet, and Plan A is already out the window. This is a classic Bears way to start such a pivotal period.
Bears miss out on Trey Smith after Chiefs place franchise tag on star guard
Smith returning to Kansas City gives them the best interior offensive line in the league with him at right guard, Creed Humphrey at center, and Joe Thuney at left guard. With how much money the Chiefs had tied up in high-profile stars like Mahomes, Kelce, and Chris Jones, Smith's retention was slightly surprising.
Smith became the highest-paid interior guard in the NFL, topping the $21 million and $20.5 million per year numbers the Eagles and Falcons handed out to Landon Dickerson and Chris Lindstrom, respectively. That's a ton of money, but the Bears had enough cap space to give Smith a similar AAV and bring him to Chicago.
Kevin Zeitler, Mekhi Becton, and Will Fries are just three of the other veteran guards Chicago could turn their attention to now that Smith is off the market. The NFL Draft could be calling their name as well, giving prospects like Ohio State's Donovan Jackson or North Dakota State's Grey Zabel a chance to start right away in Chicago.
Losing out on Smith will force Poles and Johnson to work even harder to build Williams the wall he needs to be successful. It's officially time to put a stop to all those Photoshops of Smith in Bears orange and blue.