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  • 💰 Chiefs Secure Their Guard, Sauce Secures the Bag | The Daily Chief – July 16th

💰 Chiefs Secure Their Guard, Sauce Secures the Bag | The Daily Chief – July 16th

Trey Smith inks a monster deal to stay in KC, Sauce Gardner becomes the NFL’s highest-paid CB, the Chargers get flashy, and we break down what a signing bonus really means 🧠💸

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Daily Chiefs
July 16, 2025

💰 Chiefs Lock Down Trey Smith with Record Extension
Just hours ahead of the deadline, the Chiefs finalized a 4-year, $94M extension with star RG Trey Smith, including $70M guaranteed. It’s a huge payday for one of the league’s most physical and reliable interior linemen — and ensures Mahomes' protection stays elite alongside Creed Humphrey.

Trey has been a locker room leader and tone-setter since his rookie year. This deal reflects the trust and value he’s earned — and Chiefs Kingdom is fired up. 🔥

💬 “I lose sleep thinking about protecting Patrick,” Smith once said.
💪 Now he gets to keep doing just that — through 2028.

  • 🔒 Trent McDuffie is the highest-graded corner in the NFL the past two seasons (89.7 via PFF) and ranked #34 on the PFF50

  • 🎙️ Zac Brown is set to join the Kelce brothers on tomorrow’s New Heights episode

📚 Daily Fan Education

💵 What’s a Signing Bonus & How Does It Impact the Salary Cap?

A signing bonus is money a player receives up front when they sign their contract. It’s guaranteed cash — often millions of dollars — paid immediately.

But when it comes to the NFL salary cap, that money is spread out over the length of the contract for accounting purposes.

📘 Example:
If a player signs a 4-year deal with a $20M signing bonus, only $5M per year counts against the cap — not the full $20M at once.

📊 Why it matters:
This lets teams pay stars now while keeping cap space flexible to build around them. It’s one of the most important tools in managing a championship roster in a hard-cap league like the NFL.

🧠 TLDR:
Signing bonuses = guaranteed $$ now, cap-friendly impact later. It’s how smart teams stay stacked.

🔥 Around the NFL…

🚨 Sauce Gardner Becomes Highest-Paid CB in NFL History
The Jets and All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner have agreed to a massive 4-year, $120.4M extension — making him the highest-paid corner ever at over $30M/year.

Elite lockdown coverage now comes with elite-level cash 💸

📌 Other NFL Buzz:

  • 🐅 Shemar Stewart may sit out the 2025 NFL season and re-enter the 2026 draft after leaving Bengals camp and returning to Texas A&M

  • ⚡ Chargers reveal bold yellow alternates with blue accents for 2025

  • 🔁 49ers WR Jauan Jennings could request a trade if he doesn’t get an extension soon

🗓️ Upcoming Dates

📅 July 17 – Zac Brown on New Heights
📢 July 22 – Chiefs Training Camp opens
🏟️ July 31 – Hall of Fame Game: Chargers vs. Lions

🧠 Did You Know?

Trent McDuffie has allowed the fewest yards per coverage snap of any CB in the league over the last two years and posted a 90+ PFF grade in zone coverage last season.

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