The Chiefs will have 29 players hitting free agency this off-season, and others will likely be released as cap casualties. With so many players walking, the team will need to find a way to re-sign several key players to find the best success in 2025.
Here are the top five players the Chiefs must bring back, including projected contracts they could receive in free agency as well as the highest offer the Chiefs should be willing to make.
1. Trey Smith, Guard
Projected Contract: 4 Years, $82 Million
Max Offer: 5 years, $110 million
Trey Smith is maybe the most valuable player on the market in free agency this off-season, and the Chiefs have shown interest in him returning to KC for the right price. Smith was once a 6th-round pick in the draft out of Tennessee despite several analysts including myself having top 50 grades on him. He dropped due to medical concerns with blood clots and embolisms in his lungs that can be career-threatening. But these things have yet to cause significant problems and he has been a part of the best interior offensive line in the NFL over the last 4 years.
Smith is a dominating run blocker who plays with a strong base and uses his power to impose his will in the run game. At Tennessee, Smith became one of the only freshmen to ever start day one at LT, but was shut down due to concerns about blood clots as a sophomore. When Smith came back, the team needed him at guard and he filled in at LG and played incredibly well over the last two years of his career. Smith's experience at tackle helps him as a pass blocker as well and has proven himself as one of the best offensive guards in the NFL.
The Chiefs are tight on cap space, and Smith will demand about 20 million a year in the open market. The Chiefs have already invested heavily in Joe Thuney, Jawaan Taylor and Creed Humphrey with all three making at least 18 million a year. Spending on Trey Smith is risky, and some may feel it is unnecessary, but the Chiefs need to prioritize protecting Patrick Mahomes; Smith makes a huge impact on the Chiefs offense and the team should be willing to spend to bring him back for 2025 and beyond.
2. Derrick Nnadi, Defensive Tackle
Projected Contract: 2 years, $7.5 million
Max Offer: 1 year, $5 million
Derrick Nnadi is one of the longest tenured players in Kansas City and is the only player remaining from the 2018 draft class. When the Chiefs selected Nnadi in the 3rd round of the draft, they hoped he could help anchor a star studded defensive line alongside Justin Houston, Dee Ford and Chris Jones. The Chiefs had just lost Tamba Hali and Bennie Logan and the team spent their first two picks of the draft on Breeland Speaks and Derrick Nnadi to fill some of the gaps.
When Derrick Nnadi was drafted the Chiefs were running their old 3-4 scheme with Bob Sutton as their defensive play caller. Nnadi was brought in with the intention of him playing nose tackle in the 3-4 scheme and they hoped he could make a significant impact in the run game. When the Chiefs moved on from Sutton and brought in Steve Spagnoulo, there was concern about the scheme change and what Nnadi's role would be in the new 4-3 defense.
Spagnoulo quickly became one of the best defensive coordinators in football and was able to find a role for Nnadi over the last 4 years. Nnadi is a great run stuffer and uses his compact six-foot-one-inch, 320-pound frame to eat blocks and clog run lanes. Nnadi is a disruptor, in the run game and helps Chris Jones in the pass game. The Chiefs brought back Nnadi on a one-year, two-million dollar deal last offseason, and if the team can bring him back on another cheap short-term deal