Market for Alex Smith will be strong, Ian Rapoport says
Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network thinks the Chiefs could get a solid trade haul in return for Alex Smith.
Kirk Larrabee - 3 hours ago 0
The Kansas City Chiefs should have no problem finding a trade partner for Alex Smith this offseason and could come away with a strong haul in return, according to insider Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.
Rapoport, who reported over the weekend the Chiefs would be listening to offers for Smith this offseason, was a guest on The Day Shift on 610 Sports Radio Kansas City Monday, where he was asked about the level of interest in Alex Smith and whether or not the Chiefs will be able to trade him.
"A lot," Rapoport said. "A lot, and yes."
Smith is coming off his best statistical season of his career as he threw for 4,042 yards in 2017 with 26 touchdowns, five interceptions, and a 104.7 passer rating. Rapoport says it's that performance along with what Smith can bring to a team's quarterback room that makes him such a hot commodity.
"He was number one in the NFL in passer rating," Rapoport said. "He is a great person, so if you trade for him and then draft a quarterback high, you will get someone who's going to help him. All you need to do is ask Patrick Mahomes. It's actually an amazing thing what a great person Alex Smith is because he's dealt with a lot of crap in his career despite mostly awesome and has come out the other side of it."
There have been several teams speculated to be good fits for Smith, with different situations among each of them. There's the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills, playoff teams that are still fighting quarterback woes; there's the Arizona Cardinals, a team whose starting quarterback, Carson Palmer, just retired, but still has enough talent to be competitive next season; and there's a team like the Cleveland Browns, who might be interested in acquiring Smith to not just help the team start winning again but to be a mentor to a quarterback they might select in the draft.
The latter situation might not seem like an ideal one to many quarterbacks, but Smith has done it before, and Rapoport thinks he might not have a problem doing it again.
"If I was a franchise quarterback, would I really want to help the guy who is brought in to replace me? I don't know," Rapoport said. "For some ridiculous reason, Alex Smith has done it several times, and he's continued to be a great guy. He's going to end up benefiting from all this because first of all, he's probably going to wind up being traded somewhere great. Second of all, I think his legacy will sort of live on and people will know what a good person he is."
Trading Smith would free up $17 million in cap space for the Chiefs, a much-needed amount for a team currently projected to be over the cap next year, and would also allow them to replenish some of the draft picks they traded away in multiple trades in recent months. It cost a 2013 second round pick and a 2014 conditional pick (which turned out to be another second round pick) for the Chiefs to acquire Smith from the San Francisco 49ers in 2013, and Rapoport thinks the Chiefs could get even more in return for Smith than that.
"I think they might do better this time," Rapoport said. "He is a hot commodity, and they are in unbelievable position."
rico was criticizing ME for making up a silly 'kick' about the majority of the board getting lumped in with him. How does that become MY drama?
For that matter, though, how am I SUPPOSED to NOT lump everyone together if I don't make clear that I'm not lumping everyone together?
If I'm too precise, I'm criticized for my precision. If I'm too colloquial, I'm criticized for my imprecision. If I lump too many people together, I'm accused of generalization. If I say I'm not lumping everyone together, I'm accused of harping on YOUR criticism from the past.
What's missing in all this? Where I'm wrong in the opinions I initially state.
You know what, you're right. You are clearly very level headed and my comment was initially made because I'm biased. Thank you for clearing it up for me, drama free. I appreciate it. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mr. Plow:
You know what, you're right. You are clearly very level headed and my comment was initially made because I'm biased. Thank you for clearing it up for me, drama free. I appreciate it.
It is the best strategy for Cleveland. They can't pass on another Carson Wentz. Yet they can't possibly sell their fan base on another rookie, let alone take the risk of that qb failing. This is the absolute best way to achieve both at the same time. Make Alex Smith a top 5 paid qb for two years (dead serious), and structure the contract where he can be easily cut after that time. [Reply]
How are the Browns going to draft a QB #1 overall when they are going to trade that pick for Alex Smith? It is John Dorsey doing the negotiations after all. [Reply]
Originally Posted by jd1020:
Absolutely stupid. Pay him what hes worth and spend the savings on a really good punter.
The browns will struggle to hit a salary cap floor. It's one of the big reasons they traded for Brock osweiler last year. If they can afford to pay $16m for a qb they cut before the season, they can afford giving him a ton more money if it means outbidding other teams and frontloading the contract. [Reply]
Originally Posted by TambaBerry:
i think its dumb to trade for a guy just to get you back to respectable. I would rather have the higher draft picks.
Largely I agree. However, it's a catch-22. You have to have shit personnel to get bad enough to get a high pick. But once the high pick comes in you have to get better personnel RIGHT FUCKING NOW or you kill your new guy. So you get a different new guy and ruin him too because you have shit personnel. Then you're the Browns. [Reply]
Originally Posted by TambaBerry:
i think its dumb to trade for a guy just to get you back to respectable. I would rather have the higher draft picks.
The browns have had something like 25 starting qbs since 2000. I know several diehard browns fans. They know Alex's limitations and are ecstatic just to have a team that doesn't embarrass themselves in the worst possible way week after week. [Reply]
