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."
Originally Posted by BossChief:
Sam Bradford went for a first and a conditional pick that was a 4th to a second depending on triggers...
I mean, Alex is probably worth at least that.
Right?
That was to a desperate team though, right before the season IIRC. I don't want to wait that long. I'll take less to get rid of Alex sooner. Mahomes needs to go into OTAs getting all of the first team reps. We don't need this Alex bullshit hanging over the team's head. [Reply]
I'm one of Smith's largest backers, especially compared to most of the posters here, and I feel he gives us our best shot at a Super Bowl next season. With that said, his value will never be higher than it is right now and we'd be stupid not to cash in on that given that Mahomes looks like he's ready. Even if that means we take a step back next season, we'll be better off in the long run. [Reply]
Originally Posted by TigeRRUppeRRcut:
I feel bad if Mahomes is in a situation where he has to try and carry the team. Very few quarterbacks have done that in recent history with success. It'll look like the 2011 Lions where it's huge yards/completions but mediocre W-L
Originally Posted by OKchiefs:
That was to a desperate team though, right before the season IIRC. I don't want to wait that long. I'll take less to get rid of Alex sooner. Mahomes needs to go into OTAs getting all of the first team reps. We don't need this Alex bullshit hanging over the team's head.
You heard Rappoport. There are several teams interested. That's not going to be a major bidding war, but it IS going to boost his trade value, perhaps just as much if a desperate team needed him at the last minute.
Unless Belichick takes over the team before then and pawns him off for a 2-dollar steak, Alex's price BEGINS at a 2nd round pick. Minimum. [Reply]
Alex is brought on at this point to provide stability to a franchise for the end of his career. They know he'll play well enough to keep the fan base attending vs. what other teams have at this point. Cleveland, Miami, Buffalo, if you've been bad for awhile then Alex is your kinda guy that your franchise needs so the money keeps coming in. If you think Alex is going to win you the Superbowl, well then you haven't been paying attention. [Reply]
