Chiefs Hall of Famer Neil Smith to serve as grand marshal Sunday at Kansas Speedway

<b>1993 — DE <a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SmitNe00.htm" target="_blank" link-data="{&quot;cms.site.owner&quot;:{&quot;_ref&quot;:&quot;00000166-21a1-df00-ab7e-f1a94b660000&quot;,&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;ae3387cc-b875-31b7-b82d-63fd8d758c20&quot;},&quot;linkText&quot;:&quot;Neil Smith&quot;,&quot;link&quot;:{&quot;target&quot;:&quot;NEW&quot;,&quot;attributes&quot;:[],&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SmitNe00.htm&quot;,&quot;_id&quot;:&quot;00000169-54e6-da06-ad79-57fe199f0000&quot;,&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;ff658216-e70f-39d0-b660-bdfe57a5599a&quot;},&quot;cms.content.publishDate&quot;:1551907565495,&quot;cms.content.publishUser&quot;:{&quot;_ref&quot;:&quot;00000166-a7d4-d6e8-adff-bff771920000&quot;,&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;6aa69ae1-35be-30dc-87e9-410da9e1cdcc&quot;},&quot;cms.content.updateDate&quot;:1551907565495,&quot;cms.content.updateUser&quot;:{&quot;_ref&quot;:&quot;00000166-a7d4-d6e8-adff-bff771920000&quot;,&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;6aa69ae1-35be-30dc-87e9-410da9e1cdcc&quot;},&quot;_id&quot;:&quot;00000169-54e6-da06-ad79-57fe19760000&quot;,&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;809caec9-30e2-3666-8b71-b32ddbffc288&quot;}">Neil Smith </a></b><br/><br/><b>Pre-tag 1992 stats</b>: 77 tackles, 14.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries<br/><br/><b>Franchise-tag season stats</b>: 55 tackles, 15 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries<br/><br/><b>Analysis</b>: The Chiefs were with an impasse with a star player but managed to get him in the fold in time for the 1993 season opener. A motivated Neil Smith produced a NFL-high 15 sacks during his franchise-tag season and was selected first-team All-Pro for the only time in his career.<br/><br/>Smith made the Pro Bowl each of the next three seasons with the Chiefs beginning with the tagged season and averaged nearly 13 sacks per year during that span. His production fell off in 1996 before Smith wound up with the AFC West rival Denver Broncos for three seasons. He finished his career with the then-San Diego Chargers in 2000.<br/><br/><b>Grade: A</b><br/><br/>Smith was an elite defensive end in the prime of his career. The franchise tag allowed the Chiefs to retain him, which was the essence of its original design, after then-Chiefs general manager Carl Peterson won a game of chicken as the deadline approached.