Quote:
Originally Posted by Ugly Duck
Chiefs Prime Contender for Alex Smith Trade
On Thursday, ESPN NFL analyst Adam Schefter said that Colin Kaepernick's play in the last two games could enable the 49ers to move Smith -- either to release his $8 million salary or to trade him to a team. Those teams included the Chief and the Oakland Raiders.
While it would be in the Niners best interest to keep a solid safety net in play, Smith could be expendable and that makes the Chiefs a prime contender for his services. There's plenty of talent on both sides of the ball despite the pitiful record of 1-10. Smith has proven that he can succeed with the right coaching and talent around him, and he's a better option than anything the Chiefs have right now. Even just the addition of Smith alone would be an upgrade.
Despite the frustrating trajectory early in his career, head coach Jim Harbaugh has clearly placed Smith in a winning system. He's completing a startling 70 percent of his passes this year -- nearly a 9 point jump over last season -- with a 13 to 5 touchdown-to-interception ratio. This comes after a successful 2011 season where he had 17 touchdowns to 5 interceptions and guided the 49ers to 13 wins.
Those numbers should remind Chiefs of the recent Pro Bowl season that Matt Cassel enjoyed in 2010, one in which he was placed in the right situation to succeed and given an efficient model to work within. The Chiefs running game and defense carried the team that year, just as the 49ers enjoy now. Thus it means proper coaching is in order to establish the same in KC. Still, Smith's talent and performance is better than anything the Chiefs have on hand presently.
If the Chiefs were able to pair Smith with a rookie like Geno Smith, Tyler Wilson or Matt Barkley -- just to name a few -- the position would finally have the predictable floor of Smith with the ceiling of an incoming impact rookie. That's a much better position than Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn.
Would it be worth it for the Chiefs to throw a pick at the Niners to secure his services? Perhaps, but not at the expense of the team's ability to get that main quarterback. But if the Chiefs can grab him on the open market or for a marginal draft pick, they could secure the position that needs something -- anything -- to succeed.
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This is what we've come to. Schefter's basically saying we're a prime contender because in his opinion it's a move that makes sense. It doesn't sound like there is any indication that the Chiefs are the ones saying this.