Bear Digest

Chiefs' attitude on Trey Smith can't benefit Bears GM Ryan Poles

Kansas City's GM Brett Veach at the combine displayed optimism about getting a contract done with guard Trey Smith, which has to be the last thing the Bears would want to hear.

Gene Chamberlain

Ryan Poles on Bears roster and improvement.mp4
Ryan Poles on Bears roster and improvement.mp4 /
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The news came in mostly cloudy at the NFL Scouting Combine on the Trey Smith front for the Bears.

On one hand, the Chiefs made a lot of noise about making a play to keep their starting right guard from getting to free agency.

On the other hand, Travis Kelce's future seems to include another season, and with that a Chiefs team already barely below the salary cap would be left scrambling to find a way to pay people if they're keeping their veteran tight end on the payroll at a salary cap figure of $19.8 million for 2025.

Chiefs GM Brett Veach addressed his guard's potential free agency and seemed to let the air out of the Bears' bubble with the way he finished his answer.

"Yeah, I mean, he's obviously at the top of the list, and we've already had some good dialogue with him and with CAA (agency) and Tory and Jimmy (Sexton) and his crew," Veach told combine reporters. "So obviously, a lot to work through but, I mean, this is the time of the year to do that.

"And again, we've already had some initial dialogue, and that will continue on this week and in the days to come leading up before free agency. So we'll certainly do what we can and feel pretty optimistic about our possibilities there."

If they're optimistic, there must be several major contract restructures going on because it's apparent the Chiefs plan on having Kelce playing and won't get a big chunk of their salary cap space back. Kelce hasn't said publicly he'll play, but it seems apparent the Chiefs know something and they no longer are talking about giving him a deadline of March 14 or 15 to decide.

"How we left at the end of the season is that he was fired up," Veach said of Kelce. "He has one more year under contract, and I still think he has that fire and desire to play.

"As far as I'm concerned, there is no deadline. I think we left it as he'd be back, and we're excited to get him back and get him, get him going."

Bears GM Ryan Poles was part of the Chiefs' personnel department when Smith was drafted and was asked about the free agent.

He's obviously not going to comment on Smith, who is under contract. It's an invitation to tampering charges to talk about another team's player under contract.

"I'm not going to get into players who are not on our roster right now but I am proud to have been a part of that draft process (in Kansas City)," Poles said.

It was widely reported last week that the Chiefs would not put a tag of any kind on Smith.

However, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported the Chiefs were expected to make a play to keep him on their line.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.