The Chiefs made a surprising move with the franchise tag. Here’s their explanation for it — and the reverberation from the decision.

On Friday, the Kansas City Chiefs officially announced their decision to place a non-exclusive franchise tender on star OL Trey Smith.

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach expressed interest in keeping the core players together during his press conference Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. He firmly believes that Travis Kelce will return in 2025 and has already moved to retain a key member of the offense in Smith.