Franchise players had until Tuesday to work out a multi-year contract with their respective clubs before they were forced to play out the season on the tag tender, according to the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement. Just ahead of the deadline, the Kansas City Chiefs signed their guard, Trey Smith, who had previously been tagged at a $23.4 million figure, to a four-year, $94 million contract that made him the highest-paid guard in NFL history.
At the moment, Smith averages $23.5 million per year,
just north of his tag number. Smith is now the highest-paid interior offensive lineman in the sport, only coming behind offensive linemen like Tristan Wirfs, Penei Sewell, Trent Williams, Christian Darrisaw and Lane Johnson. Wirfs, Williams and Darrisaw are all left tackles, while Sewell and Johnson are multiple-time All-Pro right tackles who seem poised to make the Hall of Fame.
For perspective, the previous highest-paid guard in the sport was the Philadelphia Eagles’ Landon Dickerson, who is set to make $84 million over four years. Smith not only beat him out in average salary, total salary (by over $10 million), but he also signed for significantly more fully guaranteed ($46.7 million vs $29.6 million) and practically guaranteed ($70 million vs $50 million) than Dickerson.
To say the least, this contract will be celebrated by guards across the league.
The market has moved significantly since Pro Bowler Elgton Jenkins, now expected to play center, signed a four-year deal worth $68 million ($17 million per) with $24 million in full and practical guarantees back in 2022. Whether or not Jenkins, who is currently holding out, will be able to receive a contract extension with the Green Bay Packers this offseason is still an open question, but I’m sure the fact that the Chiefs were willing to fork up the money for a Smith extension won’t make him happy about his situation.
At the moment, Jenkins is set to receive $12.8 million in 2025 and $20 million in 2026. The kicker is that, because of his contract structure and the Packers’ lack of willingness to give guaranteed money beyond Year 1 of new extensions (except at the quarterback position), Jenkins only has a dead cap of $4.8 million in 2026. So if the Packers wanted to, they could move on from Jenkins and save themselves north of $15 million in cap space next year, which is likely the root issue that Jenkins is trying to fix with his holdout.
Earlier this offseason, the Packers made Aaron Banks, a non-Pro Bowler, the sixth-highest-paid guard in the NFL by extending him a four-year, $77 million offer ($19.25 million per year) in free agency.
While Jenkins is now being considered a center, not guard, it’s worth noting that Jenkins has played the majority of his professional career at guard and the market isn’t too different at the top of the two positions until the Smith deal. For example, Chiefs center Creed Humphrey is playing on a four-year, $72 million contract that averages him $18 million per year.
Either way, here’s what you need to know about this story: The interior offensive line market keeps going up, Jenkins still hasn’t settled his contract dispute with the team and Smith’s new deal probably won’t help Jenkins feel better about suiting up for training camp next week.
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