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."
Restructuring Smith to play out his contract would be a great move by management.
Only way Smith agrees to go to Cleveland is if in the 5% chance Leveon Bell signs a max deal there and Dorsey also snags Jimmy Graham in free agency. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Chief Northman:
If the Chiefs do not move on from Smith this offseason, Arrowhead will be a barren wasteland.
Negative. It will be as full as ever. You are in the 1% of people that feel that way.
90% of fans are happy with winning seasons and another 5-9% are happy making the playoffs. [Reply]
If the Chiefs traded up into the first round, spending 2 first round picks to do so, on a QB that needs 2 years on the bench before he's ready to play, it was a shitty pick. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Chief Roundup:
Negative. It will be as full as ever. You are in the 1% of people that feel that way.
90% of fans are happy with winning seasons and another 5-9% are happy making the playoffs.
It wasn't even full this year. Huge game against the Dolphins and it looked like 85%. [Reply]
Originally Posted by O.city:
If the Chiefs traded up into the first round, spending 2 first round picks to do so, on a QB that needs 2 years on the bench before he's ready to play, it was a shitty pick.
Originally Posted by O.city:
If the Chiefs traded up into the first round, spending 2 first round picks to do so, on a QB that needs 2 years on the bench before he's ready to play, it was a shitty pick.
The Chiefs believe in Mahomes from every report. Independent scouts believe in him.
They need cap room.
They need draft picks.
Number of teams need a QB, with a few already linked to Smith.
I would be surprised, very surprised, if Alex is a Chief next year. [Reply]
Originally Posted by O.city:
If the Chiefs traded up into the first round, spending 2 first round picks to do so, on a QB that needs 2 years on the bench before he's ready to play, it was a shitty pick.
Shitty and devastating pick for the franchise.
Alex has to be traded this year otherwise you look completely stupid for wasting a franchise an in a rookie contract. [Reply]
Originally Posted by O.city:
If the guy needs 2 years on the bench before he's ready to start, he ain't gonna be a franchise QB.
Yeah, blah blah Rogers did it. Fine.
The guys who have sat that long and them went on to be franchise guys are the outliers.
He sat for a year, learned the ropes. It's time to take the ****ing training wheels off and sink or swim.
What if he is ready to be a franchise QB and the Chiefs just don't take him off the leash?
The reason Rodgers sat was because somebody held him back. If the Chiefs don't start Mahomes that doesn't necessarily mean anything about his talent. They could very well just be making the wrong decision in holding him back.
Correlation does not always mean causation. [Reply]
Originally Posted by O.city:
If the guy needs 2 years on the bench before he's ready to start, he ain't gonna be a franchise QB.
Yeah, blah blah Rogers did it. Fine.
The guys who have sat that long and them went on to be franchise guys are the outliers.
He sat for a year, learned the ropes. It's time to take the ****ing training wheels off and sink or swim.
It's not really a case of whether he's ready or not. I think he has proven he is ready. The issue is they have a veteran QB on a big contract who is a very solid player. Most guys that get drafted Top 10 do not have a team with a QB like Smith.
I do think it will be total bullshit if they only let Pat play a single game in 2018. They need to give him more playing time and experience. [Reply]