Smith, raising himself from a late round pick to one of the top available free agents on the open market this offseason, has ties to current Bears general manager Ryan Poles, who spent all of his career in Kansas City before being hired by Chicago ahead of the 2022 season. He was also part of the group that drafted Smith.

Kansas City's GM Brett Veach at the combine displayed optimism about getting a contract done with guard Trey Smith, which has to be the last thing the Bears would want to hear.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles arrived at the NFL Scouting Combine empowered. You could hear it in his answers. He mentioned how the strengths of free agency and the draft seemingly meet his team’s needs.