Top Vikings Guard Option Will Not Hit Open Market

The Minnesota Vikings have some serious questions to answer in the trenches this offseason, and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has mentioned exactly that. They have serious needs on both the offensive and defensive lines, but have plenty of options to go after on the free agency market, and via trade. You best believe that they’ll be active with the amount of cap space that they possess, which is 63$ million to be exact.

The NFL Draft has a solid amount of both offensive guard and defensive tackle talent as well. No matter where they come from, there are more than a few that should be available on the open market. Unfortunately, one of the top options that Minnesota could have engaged with is no longer going to be a possibility.

Trey Smith won’t be a Minnesota Vikings option

After the Kansas City Chiefs played in the Super Bowl, there was a realistic belief that star offensive guard Trey Smith would hit the open market. That is no longer a reality, as he has been franchise tagged.

The #Chiefs are planning to franchise tag star guard Trey Smith, sources say. An intriguing move, as KC keeps one of its best players for $23.4M on a 1-year, fully guaranteed deal. pic.twitter.com/IOnctKg7WE

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 27, 2025

A former sixth round pick, Smith has developed into one of the best guards across the entire NFL. He was set to hit free agency this offseason, but the Chiefs are going to pay him $23.4 million instead.

It was always expected that Smith’s free agent market would be robust, and probably set the market. He will be just 26 years old next year and has started all 67 games he has played throughout his career. Smith has done an exceptional job keeping legendary quarterback Patrick Mahomes clean, and he has also opened running lanes for Andy Reid’s run offense.

This is a perfect representation of a 'big boy block' from Trey Smith 1v1 vs. Travis Jones getting vertical displacement. Two of the strongest interior linemen in the league. Had to slow this one down. pic.twitter.com/wQA9JTuNsh

— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) September 6, 2024

Had he hit the open market, Smith would have been in line for a multi-year deal and had teams bidding his services higher and higher. Kansas City thwarts that possibility now, and they aren’t tagging him with any sort of an idea that he should be traded. Which the Minnesota Vikings are trying to do, with Sam Darnold.

Related: New Perfect Fit Trade Targets Come Available for Vikings

It remains possible, and probably desirable for Kansas City, that the Chiefs would extend Smith on a multi-year deal. They can spread out his cap hit and allow for the compensation to be split across additional years going forward. As a late round pick, Smith was in line for free agency after just four years, rather than five as higher picks are.

Where the Minnesota Vikings go for guard help now has yet to be determined. The only certainty is that Smith won’t be part of their offseason shopping haul.