Drafted in the sixth round and now a Super Bowl starter, Trey Smith has turned quiet expectations into solid gold for the Kansas City Chiefs. With every snap, he proves his value on one of the league’s most elite lines.
His physicality, reliability, and chemistry with Patrick Mahomes have made him a core piece of the team’s offensive engine. But with cap space always a chess match in KC, his contract has started to draw attention.
What’s he making—and how long can the Chiefs count on keeping him in red and gold? The numbers reveal a story of smart drafting, solid returns and a player potentially due for a big payday.
What is Trey Smith’s salary with the Kansas City Chiefs?
Trey Smith’s path to one of the NFL’s richest guard contracts is the kind of story that reshapes draft narratives. Selected in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Smith entered the league as a low-risk pick, in part due to medical concerns.
In July 2025, the Chiefs signed him to a four-year, $94 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid guard in NFL history at the time, according to NFL insider reports. The deal averages $23.5 million per year, surpassing top-tier names like Quenton Nelson and Chris Lindstrom.
Trey Smith #65 of the Kansas City Chiefs takes the field prior to the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on September 15, 2024. (Source: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
It also includes $70 million in guaranteed money, the most ever for a guard—highlighting just how much Kansas City values his role in protecting their franchise quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.
Before this extension, he was set to play the 2025 season on the franchise tag, which already placed his salary around $23.4 million, per Spotrac. But locking him into a long-term deal allowed the team to spread out the cap hit and ensure continuity across their dominant offensive line.
Trey Smith’s contract: How long will he be with the Chiefs?
Trey Smith’s new deal with the Chiefs doesn’t just break salary records—it also secures his future in Kansas City through the 2028 season. After originally being placed under the franchise tag following the 2024 season, he and the team reached a last-minute agreement just before the July 15 extension deadline.
The four-year extension, added on top of the 2025 tag year, locks him into the Chiefs’ long-term core at a crucial time. With other big contracts on the books—Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Chris Jones among them—Kansas City is carefully managing its salary cap while still retaining top-tier talent.
His extension is a clear sign that they see him as a non-negotiable part of their Super Bowl window. What makes the deal even more significant is his track record: he’s missed just one game since entering the league, and has consistently graded among the top guards in both pass protection and run blocking.
