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The Kansas City Chiefs have reached an agreement with Trey Smith over a new four-year, $94million contract just hours before Tuesday's franchise-tag deadline.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Smith's new deal, which includes $70m guaranteed, makes him the highest-paid guard in NFL history.
The 26-year-old is also set to earn the highest-average annual salary and most guaranteed money ever handed to a guard, Schefter added.
With both Smith and Creed Humphrey on the offensive line, Kansas City now has the highest-paid guard and center in the NFL after agreeing a record deal with the former.
Humphrey signed a four-year extension of his own worth $72m with $50m guaranteed in August 2024, which remains the record for a center.
The Chiefs had until 4pm Tuesday to reach an agreement with Smith after using their franchise tag on the two-time Super Bowl champion, thereby giving themselves of another year of control over him.
The Chiefs have reached an agreement with Trey Smith over a new four-year, $94million deal
Smith is one of the unsung heroes of a Chiefs team led by Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes
Should they have missed that deadline, the team would have been forced to make him the NFL's highest-paid guard on the same yearly salary of $23.4m, albeit on a smaller 12-month contract.
Though after the two parties negotiated a longer-term extension, Smith's future at Arrowhead Stadium has now been locked in until 2029.
The 26-year-old is gearing up for his fifth season with the Chiefs, who selected him with the 226th overall pick at the 2021 NFL Draft.
Two of his three campaigns have ended in Super Bowl victories, while the former Tennessee college star has only failed to make it to football's end-of-season showpiece on one occasion, having missed out in his rookie year.
Smith has started a total of 80 games - including 13 in the playoffs - and has only missed one game through four seasons.
He has therefore become a vital member of the Chiefs' offensive line over the past four years, helping quarterback Patrick Mahomes lead the team to glory.
And after hearing of his teammate's new deal, Mahomes made his delight clear by posting a smiling emoji on X.
Smith and Kansas City are coming off a heavy Super Bowl LIX loss to the Philadelphia Eagles – a defeat he believes will make them stronger going forward.
'I think you need losses in life to learn from it,' Smith recently told Kay Adams' Up and Adams podcast. 'You need adversity to create endurance. It helps build character from that as well. If you go and win, win, win, you don't have any negativity that comes your way, and you get used to it. You become complacent.
'I think that's the beautiful thing about a loss. It taught us how much it hurts to lose compared to how great it feels to win.'
