When the season ends for the Philadelphia Eagles — whenever that may be — the coaching staff and front office will almost immediately turn their attention to free agency and the 2025 NFL draft.
When they do, they’ll find a player waiting who could help solidify their offense for the next decade.
Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder thinks the Eagles could be a landing spot for Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith. Smith, a 2-time Super Bowl champion, is one of the NFL’s elite interior offensive linemen and just turned 25 years old in June.
“The Eagles may simply keep (Mekhi) Becton, who has been a pleasant surprise since converting from tackle to guard,” Holder wrote. “If they don’t, Chiefs guard Trey Smith should be at the top of the wish list. He’s a Pro Bowl-caliber right guard who will turn just 26 in June.”
Smith and his agents at CAA will likely be chomping at the bit to get their client to the highest bidder. The 6-foot-6, 312-pound Tennessee product was a sixth round pick (No. 226 overall) in the 2021 NFL draft and is in the final season of his 4-year, $3.6 million rookie contract.
Smith Could Fetch $100 Million in Free Agency
Smith was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs and forced to miss the final 5 games of the 2018 season at Tennessee — something that caused his draft stock to plummet in 2021 even though he’s never experienced those types of health issues as a pro.
Smith was a plug-and-play starter for the NFL’s best team as a rookie and was named to the PFWAA All-Rookie Team in 2021. Since being drafted, Smith has started 60 out of a possible 61 regular-season games and all 10 postseason games in that span. That includes a 9-1 record in the playoffs and back-to-back Super Bowl titles in 2022 and 2023.
While Spotrac currently projects Smith’s market value in the neighborhood of a 4-year, $75 million contract, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox thinks the ceiling could be much higher.
” … I fully expect Trey Smith to reset the guard market in 2025 and to be one of the most coveted players at any position,” Knox wrote on November 6. “The 25-year-old is a high-level pass protector who has yet to allow a sack this season … As a run blocker, he’s an absolute game-changer.”
That means Smith could be in line to become the highest-paid offensive guard in NFL history, eclipsing the 5-year, $102.5 million contract signed by Atlanta Falcons guard Chris Lindstrom in March 2023.
Lindstrom’s deal included a whopping $62.7 million in guaranteed money.
Eagles Have Spent Big on Offensive Linemen
It’s worth pointing out the Eagles already have one guard they’re paying big money — Landon Dickerson signed a 4-year, $84 million contract extension in March 2024.
If you’re looking for reasons Philadelphia has maintained its status as one of the NFC’s elite teams in recent years, making sure their best offensive linemen get super-duper paid is probably one of them. For example, former Philadelphia center and future Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Kelce retired in 2023 after he made $54.7 million of his $81.7 million in career earnings over the last 5 seasons of his 13-year NFL career.
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