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 BryanBusby:
If you can get a 4th round pick or better, ship him out.
You can get a 3rd round pick for sure. A 2nd likely but not sure. A 1st I'd be shocked but not impossible. Smith despite the regular season stellar stats has just not been convincing enough in the playoffs and in crunch time. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Buckweath:
You can get a 3rd round pick for sure. A 2nd likely but not sure. A 1st I'd be shocked but not impossible. Smith despite the regular season stellar stats has just not been convincing enough in the playoffs and in crunch time.
Well yeah, I'm just saying that I wouldn't hold out for a comp 3rd tomorrow if I can at least fetch a 4th today.
They will probably get a 2nd and an extra choice out of him in the end. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BryanBusby:
If you can get a 4th round pick or better, ship him out.
Yeah..that's not going to happen. 4th rounder for a starting QB that just led the NFL in QBR..and had two 1000 receivers? Had five straight winning seasons in KC and taken them to the playoffs 4 times?
Originally Posted by RealSNR:
I will watch zero football at all next year if Alex Smith is still the QB of this team. The only way I will be tempted to tune back in is if he goes down with a season ending injury and Mahomes takes the reins permanently. Yes, it has to be a season ending injury. Any case where the team views it still as Alex's job is unacceptable. So if Alex goes down for two games, I'm not watching Mahomes play just so the team can take it away and give the job back to Alex. That doesn't hold my interest at all.
It's no longer Alex's team. He lost it. It's time for him to leave. Get the fuck off the team, Alex.
Originally Posted by notorious:
You guys do realize what franchise we are talking about here......
Alex will be here next year.
Sorry, dude, but with the drafting of Mahomes, the team has shown they're going to TRY to run themselves like a real franchise capable of challenging for and perhaps even winning a championship one day.
Just because they lost the Titans game the way they lost their other playoff games doesn't mean we should assume they're going to make a monumentally bone-headed decision, particularly since Veach really needs to take the mistakes Dorsey made and show that he's going to be a different GM by succeeding in those areas. Cap management is the single biggest area for improvement, and Veach REALLY loves Mahomes, perhaps even more than Dorsey did.
We gotta support the team through the Mahomes process as long as the team sees it through. Bringing back Alex to start another season will destroy that confidence I have in them, but for now, I think it's safe to say they'll get a deal done one way or another. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BlackOp:
Yeah..that's not going to happen. 4th rounder for a starting QB that just led the NFL in QBR..and had two 1000 receivers? Had five straight winning seasons in KC and taken them to the playoffs 4 times?
Geez...
Are you intentionally retarded or does it come natural [Reply]
Originally Posted by BlackOp:
Do you repeat other's cliches in an attempt to portray digital pridefulness...or is it out of lack of original thought?
I didn't make you post "take a 4th for Smith"...you did. Own your terrible observation....
Take anything 4th or above, over holding out for a future comp, doesn't mean yeah trade him for a 4th because that's the best KC will fetch, you dumbass.
I've gone on record many times saying they will at least get total comp equaling to a 2nd rounder.
Tell us more about your cool conspiracies though because woah man a Blake Bortles / Nick Foles SB is totes what the zionist man wants. [Reply]
They're going to have to make some moves to get into a better cap situation BEFORE trying to trade Alex. At least that way they're working from a position of power and not need. [Reply]
I haven't read through many of the last comments... so, apologies if it's a repeat. Maybe the thought is keeping Alex and making a bet that they receive more via trade after the draft when a team in contention loses a QB in training camp or preseason?
Let there be a true competition for the starting job, not an annointment to the job and then if there's a big trade option due to another team losing a starter - bingo. [Reply]
Originally Posted by raybec 4:
They're going to have to make some moves to get into a better cap situation BEFORE trying to trade Alex. At least that way they're working from a position of power and not need.
Tamba is leaning towards retiring per Terez Paylor. He knows this is it for him so I think he will retire before March.
That alone puts us even with the cap. The $3 million we have rolling over will put us below. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mile High Mania:
I haven't read through many of the last comments... so, apologies if it's a repeat. Maybe the thought is keeping Alex and making a bet that they receive more via trade after the draft when a team in contention loses a QB in training camp or preseason?
Let there be a true competition for the starting job, not an annointment to the job and then if there's a big trade option due to another team losing a starter - bingo.
I don’t think psychologically you can keep alex around. Either guy that wins will always be looking over his shoulder and the same with the fans.
Add to that the $ you save by trading smith, I don’t think you can keep him around.
But it’s the chiefs we’re talkiny about herr [Reply]
Originally Posted by Chief Northman:
If the Chiefs do not move on from Smith this offseason, Arrowhead will be a barren wasteland.
Bollocks.
This fan base would line up, ass cheeks spread wide for another season of pathetic ramrodding from the Alexian micropeen, and gladly pay extra for parking to do it.
"we're close, all we need to do is fix the defense! with a top 10 D Alex won't even need to be clutch because every game will be won by the 4th quarter!"
RunKC and slugsnothugs would be trumpeting this far and wide by August with the right free agent additions and camp reports of "Alex is STILL going deep omg."
Thankfully Reid and Veach have a hell of a lot more foresight. [Reply]
