If the Kansas City Chiefs are truly unhappy with Alex Smith, should the New York Jets consider trying to land him?
Usually the quarterback of a 12-4 team wouldn’t even be the subject of a thought to be on the trading block, but after the Chiefs fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional round of the playoffs, there have been whispers that the Kansas City Chiefs may be in the market for a quarterback with a little more firepower.While it seems highly unlikely that Alex Smith would be on the move from Kansas City, the Chiefs could actually save salary cap space by cutting Smith, adding even the slightest chance of his availability.
The Chiefs could look to move on from Alex Smith should they be able to land the services of Tony Romo, or find a way to move up in the 2017 NFL draft to land Deshaun Watson.
Enter the New York Jets.
With an obvious need at the quarterback position and with the sixth pick in the NFL draft, the New York Jets have been in the discussion of acquiring the services of Clemson’s Deshaun Watson.
A trade for Smith for that pick could be a match should Watson still be on the board.
Now, as far-fetched as this may seem, the Chiefs can afford to groom a potential star at the quarterback position while remaining competitive in the present.
Kansas City has a suitable backup quarterback in Nick Foles, who is only a year removed from being a starter for the then St. Louis Rams. Foles could slide in as the starter in Kansas City while Watson learns the ropes.
Sure, Andy Reid, in a radio interview with Mike and Mike of ESPN, said “He’s our quarterback, by the way, and he’s right here at the Pro Bowl so I think we’re going to keep him.”
Problem believing that is that Reid has been in a similar situation before, and the end result was a trade.
In 2010, when Reid was the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, he made a statement that Donovan McNabb was going to be the starter for the Eagles. Then out of seemingly nowhere, McNabb was not only traded, but he was dealt to a division rival no less.
With Watson seemingly being a tremendous fit in Kansas City, the possibility that Smith could be on the move before next season is real.
For Gang Green, Smith would provide the team with the ability to erase a disastrous 2016 and pick up where they left off in 2015. He may not be known for the big play, but he is smart with the football and keeps turnovers to a minimum, something the Jets haven’t seen since the Chad Pennington days.
In order to pull off a move like this, the Jets have to be willing to commit to Bryce Petty being the quarterback of the future and let him learn from Smith about how to be smarter with the ball.
The two-time pro bowler does come with a hefty cap hit of $16.9 million this year and $20.6 million next year, making a pay cut seeming necessary.
