Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
The best offensive lineman on the free-agent market won’t make it there, after all.
The Chiefs plan to give guard Trey Smith the franchise tag, per ESPN. The tag, which is a one-year, $23.4 million contract, will keep him out of free agency when it begins March 10.
The tag would allow the two sides to negotiate a long-term deal before a mid-July deadline.
There’s no longer a direct path for the Bears to bid on the best offensive lineman on the open market.
The Bears were among the teams intrigued by the 25-year-old Smith, who earned his first Pro Bowl berth this year and allowed not a single sack.