There are several offseason needs that if addressed could turn the LA Chargers from a playoff team into a true Super Bowl contender. The Chargers built a strong foundation in 2024 but they need more help if they are going to reach that upper echelon with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Some of that help could come at the Chiefs' expense this offseason. Arguably the biggest need for the Chargers this offseason is interior offensive line help. Kansas City, meanwhile, has one of the biggest upcoming guard free agents on the roster: Trey Smith.
The Chiefs do have the power to franchise tag Smith to keep him in Kansas City another season, keeping the Chargers from even having a chance to sign him. However, that does not appear to be the route the Chiefs are taking, at least according to ESPN's Field Yates (h/t CHGO).
Field Yates via CHGO Bears Podcast says he expects Chiefs RG Trey Smith to hit free agency and for KC not to franchise tag him. pic.twitter.com/kkBVVmLeYO
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) January 21, 2025
NFL Rumors: Chiefs may let Trey Smith hit free agency, where the Chargers await
If Yates ends up being right then Smith becomes the No. 1 priority for the Chargers this offseason. Los Angeles desperately needs help at the guard position and Smith is the best help the team can get bar none in free agency.
The 25-year-old Pro Bowler is coming off a career year with Kansas City and is still barely hitting his prime. Smith finished with the 13th-best pass-blocking efficiency rate among the 37 guards in the NFL with at least 600 pass-blocking snaps in 2024. Zion Johnson, for comparison, ranked 34th.
Pass-blocking isn't even Smith's bread and butter. He is a mauler in the run game and would help the Chargers establish the run game to make Justin Herbert's life easier. Smith is the epitome of Jim Harbaugh football.
With $63 million in projected cap space, before the team makes any money-saving moves, the Chargers absolutely have the means to pay Smith top-line market value in free agency. The highest-paid guard in the league has an AAV of $21 million, putting Smith's price tag right around that $20 million figure.
The Chargers can more than afford it.
Smith's fit on the Chargers is as natural as it can be as well. Smith plays right guard, which is exactly what the team needs to replace with Trey Pipkins being a likely cap casualty this offseason. Instead of paying Pipkins just under $10 million to be a below-average guard, the Chargers can pay just $10 million more to get a top-tier guard to replace him.
With Smith at right guard and a promising center from the 2025 NFL Draft, suddenly the Chargers can field a respectable offensive line for Herbert.
Plus, it makes the Chiefs worse as a result, which is always a good thing for the Chargers. This double whammy alone may not make the Chargers the favorite in the AFC West, but it sure would shrink the gap.