ESPN - Alex Smith willing to wait for deal

[007]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11...p-quarterbacks

Alex Smith is willing to be patient in contract talks with the Kansas City Chiefs. He also evidently feels that he's just as valuable as some of the NFL's highly paid quarterbacks.

Smith discussed his future with the Chiefs and the nature of his contract talks Thursday during an interview with the Kansas City Star.

Alex Smith, who helped lead the Chiefs to the playoffs last year, believes he's "right up there" with some of the NFL's highest-paid quarterbacks.
Although he claimed that there was "still plenty of time" to reach a deal, Smith also told the Star that he is aware of the recent deals signed by some other quarterbacks around the league.

"Certainly when you're talking about comparables and what the marketplace is for a quarterback, certainly you're looking at that," Smith told the paper. "And I feel like my body of work of the last three, four years is right up there with a lot of those guys. No question, when you're trying to put a value on something like that, you look at a lot of stuff."

Smith, 30, is scheduled to make $7.5 million this season -- the final year of his current contract with the Chiefs.

Matt Ryan, Jay Cutler, Tony Romo and Matthew Stafford all recently have signed long-term contracts -- deals worth approximately $17 million to $18 million annually.

Smith helped lead the Chiefs to the playoffs last season after passing for 3,313 yards and 23 touchdowns with just seven interceptions. The former No. 1 overall draft pick has posted a 30-9-1 record in games he has started dating back to the 2011 season, when he helped the San Francisco 49ers reach the NFC Championship Game.

The Chiefs currently have about $10 million in available salary-cap space and will also face a financial decision regarding Pro Bowl pass-rusher Justin Houston, another potential free agent next winter.

Smith told the Star that he would be willing to wait until next offseason to strike a deal with Kansas City.

"I'd love to have it done," Smith said. "I love Kansas City, I love the coaching staff, the players. ... But when you're talking about this many years and that type of deal, you want it done right. You want both sides happy, and you want it to be something that is going to last and you can play out. A lot of things go into it.

"With that, there's still plenty of time. I still have a whole year left. And who knows what will happen?"

Chiefs players are scheduled to report to training camp by next Wednesday, and Smith insists he will be focused on football rather than worrying about his contract.

"When I talk to management, we talk about that, and that's great, and then flush it, and we focus on football and doing what we have to do to help us win," Smith said.

[Simply Red]

I like Alex.

[Stewie]

I was listening to ESPN on the way home from a wedding tonight and they were talking about QBs up for new contracts.

The big fear is that these QBs will get "Kaepernicked" by teams negotiating contracts. Apparently, the deal he signed has some really ridiculous team-favorable terms. He signed a "big" contract (that pays for 2 years) but it sounds like within his contract he has to pay for insurance based on the possibility of "diminishing performance."

[milkman]

Originally Posted by Alex Smith 4Ever

Of course he's willing to wait. His value has sky rocketed over the past year and it's only going to keep increasing. I remember when I suggested that a $10 million a year deal for Alex would be a bargain and people laughed, but now we'd be lucky to get him for less than #20 million a year. If the Chiefs have any sense they will lock Alex up before the season starts, like they should have done last year

Remember when you suggested a 10 mil a year deal?

The better question is do we remember whoever the **** you are?

And no, you're full of shit if you think Alex Smith's value is certain to skyrocket.

[Mav]

Originally Posted by milkman

Remember when you suggested a 10 mil a year deal?

The better question is do we remember whoever the **** you are?

And no, you're full of shit if you think Alex Smith's value is certain to skyrocket.

And people thought I was a homer.

[ThaVirus]

EDIT: Never mind.

Alex Smith for $20 mil a year

[Dave Lane]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

EDIT: Never mind.

Alex Smith for $20 mil a year

Kinda has a Jeopardy ring to it.

I'll take mediocre QBs for $20 million Alex.

[KCSLC2008]

Originally Posted by Fruit Ninja

Just shows that he's not confident in his ability to play qb at a high level. I have no problem letting him walk.

I feel NOT signing this fluff contract of Dalton's is because he DOES believe his abilities to play at a high level will earn the bigger guarantee.

He was the highest rated QB and winning when Kaepernick replaced him - now, rating isn't everything and is skewed, but he was playing well and he believed his abilities then. He's not scared of competition, at worst he wants to not be plan B as he was in SF.

His contract was low enough in SF that his (8) and Kaepernick's salary (1) was keepable for SF and tradeable. If Smith were to sign a 18M deal, we'd be forced to keep him or release him to find his own team because no one would believe we'd keep him (and thus not trade picks for him).