Tennessee great Trey Smith linked with 2 teams if Chiefs don’t re-sign him

Soon enough, former superstar Tennessee Vols offensive lineman Trey Smith is going to cash in big time. After a tremendous start to his career and dominant 2024 season with the Kansas City Chiefs, Smith is expected to potentially land a record-breaking contract for a guard in free agency.

The Chiefs could franchise tag him, but that seems unlikely. While Kansas City will also hope to re-sign him to a big-time deal and keep him in town, the door will be open for Smith to negotiate with other teams and find his best deal.

In a new piece from Pro Football Focus, it has the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots as potential destinations for him. Would Vols fans like to see him land with either of those teams, or would it be better for him to stay in the AFC West with KC?

OL Trey Smith has been linked with New England and Chicago this offseason

“As alluded to in “Free agency signings we want to see,” new Bears head coach Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles will prioritize the offensive line this offseason,” PFF’s Mason Cameron. “And what better way to do that than to make a splash signing of the top offensive lineman on the free agent market, Trey Smith? Chicago shouldn’t stop there. Instead, doubling down on their offensive line investments is the path to solidifying Caleb Williams‘ development as their franchise passer. They should also try to secure the top offensive line prospect in this year’s draft class, Will Campbell.”

The Bears aggressively going after Smith makes a ton of sense. As Cameron mentioned, Chicago must do everything it can to put Caleb Williams in the best position possible to succeed. With that, the front office needs to protect him and give him enough time to create magic.

The exact same thing can be said about the Patriots, who have hired Mike Vrabel as head coach and have Drake Maye getting ready for Year 2 in the league. Smith is going to be the top OL to hit free agency, unless the Chiefs end up tagging him that is.

Teams with a big OL need will put a lot of money on the table for Smith and the former Volunteer will be ready to listen and cash in on his incredible 2024 campaign. This past season, Smith was a key playmaker in helping the Chiefs get back to the Super Bowl

Despite KC losing to the Eagles, the veteran lineman has two Super Bowl rings to his name. If KC wants him back in ’25, it will need to show just how much it values him with a monster deal. If they don’t get their offer right, Chicago and New England could be ready to pounce.