KC Chiefs officially sign Nick Bolton, Trey Smith to rookie deals

The K.C. Chiefs have officially reached contractual agreements with two of their six draftees so far this spring. The news broke on Thursday that both linebacker Nick Bolton from Missouri and offensive lineman Trey Smith from Tennessee have signed their rookie deals, bringing them officially under contract with the Chiefs.

The Chiefs selected Bolton in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft at No. 58 overall and was the team’s first official selection after the Chiefs traded their first round pick in the Orlando Brown Jr. deal. Bolton will compete for starting reps at linebacker in the team’s base defense and should add considerable depth and talent to a core that’s been lacking both over the last few years.

As for Smith, he was the team’s sixth round pick and was heralded as a likely steal by most draft analysts after he fell several rounds due to past medical concerns about blood clots in his lungs. Smith was a high-caliber starter along the offensive interior for the Volunteers and he projects to be the same at the pro level.

Bolton’s deal came out to four years and just over $5.8 million with a current cap hit of $1.060 million in ’21. For Smith, it was a four year contract at $3.6 million with a current cap hit of $692K.

Rookie contract are slotted deals, per the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, which means that every rookie signing is essentially a done deal. In years past, rookies could hold out for more money and avoid coming to offseason training activities or training camp if the holdout lasted long enough. Joey Bosa of the Los Angeles Chargers is just one of a few cases in recent years to hold out, and typically in the modern era, it’s about offset language more than anything else.