Alex Smith (QB)

AFC Notes: A. Smith, Orr, Watson, Landry

July 16th, 2017 at 10:17am CST by Rory Parks

It was former Chiefs GM John Dorsey who ultimately pulled the trigger on the team’s draft-day trade that allowed Kansas City to climb all the way up to the No. 10 overall spot and draft quarterback Patrick Mahomes. But now that Dorsey is out and Brett Veach is in, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report says it is fair to question what the new hire means for incumbent signal-caller Alex Smith.

But according to Miller, not much will change with respect to the team’s approach to Smith. After all, Veach has been with the Chiefs for the past four years, so it’s not as if he’s coming to Kansas City with a fresh take on the situation. Plus, Miller’s league sources all said effectively the same thing: “nothing changes in Kansas City while Andy Reid is the head coach.” As such, you can still expect the team to move on from Smith after the 2017 season — and save $17MM in the process — as long as Mahomes appears ready to assume control.

Now for more from the AFC:

Kevin Bowen of Colts.com says all is quiet on the Colts/Zach Orr front, and at this point, the team has had plenty of time to sift through Orr’s medicals. Therefore, Bowen does not believe Indianapolis will pursue Orr in an attempt to bolster its linebacker corps.
Although Texans GM Rick Smith was not as definitive as head coach Bill O’Brien in declaring Tom Savage the team’s Week 1 starter, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle confirms that Savage will be under center when the regular season gets underway. Rookie signal-caller Deshaun Watson, meanwhile, is content to remain patient and wait for his opportunity. Watson said, “It’s best for the team. Coach [O’Brien] knows a lot of football. He’s been with … one of the best in NFL history in Tom Brady. He knows how everything is operated. He knows when the perfect timing will be.”
Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant recently said he took issue with the way Ben Roethlisberger spoke about him to the media earlier this summer, when Big Ben said Bryant would need to “win back everybody’s trust.” That might sound pretty rich for a player who managed to get himself suspended for the entire 2016 campaign, but Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com nonetheless believes that it is important for Bryant and Roethlisberger to have the sit-down that Bryant proposed. Although such meetings are often unbeneficial formalities, Fowler says Bryant, whose position in the league is fairly tenuous at this point, needs to feel like the catalyst he can be and not become a source of criticism.
The Dolphins‘ best bet may be to simply let Jarvis Landry play out the 2017 season, his contract year, and put the franchise tag on him in 2018, as Roy Cummings of Florida Football Insiders opines. After all, Landry is set to make less than $1MM this year, so even the projected $17MM tag in 2018 would allow Miami to keep Landry for at least two more seasons at about $8.5MM per year, which is well below the $14MM per year he would likely get with a new contract. Although that approach could create some discord between player and team, it does make short-term financial sense.
Darryl Slater of NJ.com makes a series of predictions for the Jets, with the most interesting being that he expects Christian Hackenberg to become the team’s starting quarterback no later than Week 12 (New York has a Week 11 bye), and that he expects Todd Bowles to be retained for 2018.

AFC West Notes: Chiefs, Smith, Mahomes

May 18th, 2017 at 11:05am CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs gave Alex Smith a heads-up before drafting Patrick Mahomes, but the veteran is realistic about what the rookie’s presence means for him.

“I think [the Chiefs are] committed to me [only] through this year,” Smith said (via ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher). “That’s just the nature of it. If you don’t go out there and perform, I mean, coach [Andy] Reid and [quarterbacks coach Matt Nagy] are very honest. You’ve got to go out there and do your deal. We all have to. Whether or not we drafted Patrick, it doesn’t change that, right? If you’re not good enough and didn’t get it done, you’re not going to be around long. That’s just our culture. I know it. That’s the nature of the position.”

Smith is under contract for two more seasons, but KC can drop him next year and save $17MM versus just $3.6MM in dead money. If Mahomes gets an opportunity this year and performs well, it’s conceivable that Smith won’t be around to see the scheduled end of his contract.

Here’s more from the AFC West:

The Chiefs are hiring former Packers Assistant Director of Pro Personnel Tim Terry to be their new Director of Pro Personnel, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Terry was started with the Packers in 2004 and ascended to Assistant Director of Pro Personnel in 2008. After roughly 13 years in Green Bay, he’s going from the NFC North to the AFC West and getting a promotion.
Tre Boston was moved to sign with the Chargers after a chance meeting with a random man, as ESPN.com’s Eric D. Williams writes. “I crossed two lanes to get to the gas station. I pump my gas. After I pump my gas, I put my wallet in my car. After I put my wallet in my car, there’s a guy with three kids and he asked me for a little bit of change, or if I had a dollar or two,” the safety explained. “I gave him a $20. So he tells me thank you so much, and that God put me in his life for a reason. And in my mind I’m saying you’re here for a reason, too. So in my mind I’m saying should I ask him, ‘L.A. or Buffalo.’ And before I could ask him, my man told me, ‘Thank you so much. There aren’t too many people like you in this world, God’s children. My name’s Mike Daniels, but people call me L.A.'” Pittsburgh also reportedly expressed interest in signing Boston, but it sounds like the Bills were the real runners-up for his services.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like we’ll see Aldon Smith suiting up for the Raiders anytime soon.

AFC Notes: Chiefs, Ravens, Fins, Titans

May 8th, 2017 at 7:03pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

As the Chiefs were preparing to trade up 17 spots in the first round of this year’s draft to select Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes 10th overall, they reached out to starting signal-caller Alex Smith to make sure he’d be OK with it, general manager John Dorsey told the NFL Network on Monday (via Conor Orr of NFL.com). “You know, Alex is the consummate professional,” said Dorsey. “He’s been through these types of situations before and we made sure we communicated with Alex leading up to the draft that we may make a move like this. And when we were on the clock and traded up with Buffalo, we made sure we again got in contact with Alex and he’s all on board with this.” Even after the addition of Mahomes, Smith knows the Chiefs are “his team,” per Dorsey, who praised the 33-year-old for owning “the fourth-winningest record” among QBs since his KC tenure began in 2013. The Chiefs have indeed posted an excellent regular-season mark (41-20) with Smith at the controls, but they’ve managed only one playoff win in three trips. Now, thanks in no small part to the Chiefs’ investment in Mahomes, Smith appears unlikely to last as their starter for much longer. The 12-year veteran’s contract will expire after the 2018 season.

Chiefs HC, Ownership Support Alex Smith

March 7th, 2017 at 5:40pm CST by Ben Levine

While previous reports have indicated that the Chiefs could look for an upgrade at quarterback, NFL Network’s James Palmer says that may not be the case. The pundit tweets that Chiefs ownership and head coach Andy Reid have been “backing” Alex Smith as their starting quarterback in 2017. Meanwhile, Palmer notes that the organization is not interested in Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.

Smith has compiled a 41-20 record during his four seasons in Kansas City, but he’s yet to advance his team past the divisional round. 2016 was arguably the best season of the veteran’s career, as he completed 67.1-percent of his passes for 3,502 yards, 15 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.

Romo has only played five games over the past two seasons. His last healthy season came in 2014, when he completed 69.9-percent of his passes for 3,705 yards, 34 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Previous reports have also linked the Chiefs to Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

If the team were to add a replacement, they’d still need to find a taker for Smith. Previous reports indicated that in this scenario, it’d be more likely that the team releases the 32-year-old. The Chiefs would save $9.7MM by cutting the veteran, or $13.3MM by designating him as a post-June 1 release.

Jets Notes: Quarterbacks, Harris, Cap Room

February 25th, 2017 at 10:10am CST by Ben Levine

The Jets will surely be exploring every possible option when it comes to the quarterback position, and WFAN host Boomer Esiason believes Chiefs signal-caller Alex Smith would be an excellent fit for the organization.

“He can handle the crap if he has to,” Esiason told Connor Hughes of NJ.com. “He would be a very steady influence and somebody who is in the midst of his prime. And he knows the West Coast offense. I’m assuming that’s what [offensive coordinator] Johnny Morton is going to be running?

“There’s no way Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg are going to be ready for that. They’re just not ready for it. Alex has, obviously, played his entire career in it.”

Of course, Smith would only be available if the Chiefs acquire an upgrade at the position. This past season, the 32-year-old completed 67.1-percent of his passes for 15 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a career-high 3,502 passing yards. The veteran’s cap hit is expected to be around $16.9MM next season, and he’s signed through the 2018 campaign.

Let’s take a look at some other notes coming out of the Big Apple…

Speaking of quarterbacks, NFL.com’s Charley Casserly believes Bears veteran Jay Cutler would be a fit for the Jets… as long as he can handle the media. Cutler has a history with wideout Brandon Marshall, and he’s also played for quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates. The 33-year-old appeared in only five games this season, marking the seventh-straight campaign that he failed to play in all 16 games.
Darryl Slater of NJ.com believes that the Jets restructuring linebacker David Harris‘ contract would be “ideal.” The veteran is set to enter the final year of his deal, and the team could free up $6.5MM by cutting him loose. However, Slater believes the 33-year-old can still play, and a lower salary may be the better option than simply cutting him.
Slater also points out that the Jets have already cleared $17.5MM be cutting Ryan Clady, Breno Giacomini, and Nick Folk. The team could free up at least another $30MM by releasing Marshall, Nick Mangold, Darrelle Revis, and Marcus Gilchrist.

Chiefs Could Part Ways With Alex Smith?

February 22nd, 2017 at 5:18pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Alex Smith has averaged nearly 11 wins per season during his four-year run with the Chiefs, but that won’t stop Kansas City from exploring other quarterback options this offseason, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), who notes a “growing sense” among NFL executives that the Chiefs could move on from Smith. However, Kansas City will likely only part ways Smith if it’s able to acquire another signal-caller such as the Cowboys’ Tony Romo or the Patriots’ Jimmy Garoppolo, per Cole.

Smith’s potential ouster has been a topic of conversation before, as has possible mutual interest between the Chiefs and Romo. A prospective Kansas City acquisition of Garoppolo, however, has not, although the New England signal-caller figures to be a desirable item in the coming weeks, as the Browns, Bears, and 49ers are all expected to make a push for Garoppolo (and have more attractive draft picks to offer).

A “strong feeling” exists within league circles that the Chiefs have plateaued with Smith, but Kansas City won’t acquire Romo — or presumably, Garoppolo — without cutting ties with Smith first. While the Chiefs could look to trade Smith to a quarterback-needy club, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported earlier this month that Kansas City would likely release Smith if they landed Romo. The Chiefs would save $9.7MM by cutting Smith, or $13.3MM by designating him as a post-June 1 release.

Since being acquired prior to the 2013 campaign, Smith has averaged 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions per season while completing 64.5% of his passes for the Chiefs. Smith, 32, has led Kansas City to three postseason appearances during that span, but the Chiefs have never advanced past the Divisional Round.

Chiefs Eyeing Upgrade At Quarterback

February 4th, 2017 at 10:03am CST by Ben Levine

The Chiefs have finished with a winning record in each of their four seasons with Alex Smith under center. However, the team has only made three playoff appearances, and they’ve been incapable of advancing past the divisional round. As a result, the Chiefs may be looking for a change, and there’s an obvious name that they could pursue.

NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Chiefs have been looking to upgrade the quarterback position following their playoff loss to the Steelers. The writer suggests that the organization could end up going after Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.

“It was noteworthy when Andy Reid was non-committal to Alex Smith,” Rapoport said. “They’ve made a QB trade in the past, doing so for Alex Smith. They’d have to be considered someone who would be a possibility.”

The connection between Romo and the Chiefs isn’t very surprising, as Romo listed Kansas City as one of his “favored destinations” (along with the Broncos, Texans, and Cardinals). If the Chiefs did somehow acquire Romo, it’s unlikely that Smith would be part of that swap or any other trade. Rapoport notes that the Chiefs would likely cut the veteran quarterback, which would leave the organization with $7MM in dead money. The 32-year-old has two years remaining on his contract, and his 2018 cap hit is projected to be north of $20MM.

Smith threw for a career-high 3,502 passing yards this past season, but it was an otherwise typical season for the 11-year veteran. Smith’s 67.1-percent completion percentage, 15 touchdowns, and eight interceptions were generally on par with his career numbers, and the Chiefs once again ranked towards the bottom of the league in passing offense.

Of course, Smith still put up better numbers than Romo, who sat out the majority of the season with a back injury. The 36-year-old ultimately appeared in one game this season, completing three of his four pass attempts for 29 yards and one touchdown. With the organization opting to build around Dak Prescott, Rapoport notes that the veteran quarterback is open to a trade. However, the writer also reports that Romo is still considering retirement.

West Notes: Dominik, Shanahan, Smith, Berry

January 29th, 2017 at 9:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

Before the mystery candidate for the 49ers’ GM job became revealed as off-the-board hire John Lynch, fellow TV analyst Mark Dominik received consideration for the GM job, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (on Twitter). However, the sides never scheduled an interview. But Lynch getting the job doesn’t necessarily mean a path from ESPN to the 49ers isn’t on the table for Dominik.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported Lynch plans to bring in an experienced personnel man as his top lieutenant, and CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora wonders if Dominik — the Buccaneers’ scouting director during part of Lynch’s career in Tampa before becoming the team’s GM later — will land in San Francisco because that familiarity with Lynch (Twitter link).

Here’s more from the 49ers’ surprising hire, along with the latest from some other NFL teams as the Pro Bowl continues.

The six-year contract that’s expected to be offered to Kyle Shanahan is two years longer than the deals for both Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly, and one year longer than Jim Harbaugh, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com notes.
Alex Smith took from his exit interview with Andy Reid he will return for a fifth season as the Chiefs‘ starting quarterback. “We’ve talked a lot, and for sure, the talk was just the sense of urgency — [him saying] ‘let’s go get it, you and me,’ ” Smith said, via Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star. “For both of us, I think you realize the opportunities are less and less.” Reid said as much publicly after the Chiefs’ second-round loss to the Steelers, but calls for the Chiefs to replace the middling quarterback will certainly come from pundits. Smith will turn 33 in May. He has two more years left on his deal and will take up $16.9MM of Kansas City’s cap in 2017. That number rises to $20.9MM in 2018, and by ’18, the Chiefs would save $17MM by parting ways with Smith.
Add Chiefs DC Bob Sutton to the list of those wanting Eric Berry to return. Joining Reid on this topic, Sutton said from the Pro Bowl, “That’s out of my wheelhouse but I mean, you’d be crazy not to [want him back],” Sutton said, via Conor Orr of NFL.com. “I thought he had an MVP-type season. He was a dynamic force. I don’t know how much more you could do. This guy had an impact on our entire team. Not just our defense, but our entire team.” Berry is a UFA for the second straight year. It would cost the Chiefs $12.967MM to retain him on the franchise tag again. Kansas City stands to possess less than $5MM in cap space before roster cuts are made.
Chiefs co-player personnel director Brett Veach looms as a candidate to fill new Colts GM’s Chris Ballard‘s shoes, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report tweets, pointing to his scouting acumen as a route up the ladder.

Alex Smith’s Future With Chiefs In Doubt?

November 10th, 2016 at 10:49am CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Chiefs are proponents of quarterback Alex Smith‘s mistake-free style, but they’re skeptical of his ability to help lead them to a championship, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report. Therefore, general manager John Dorsey & Co. will use the rest of the campaign to evaluate Smith and could then make a “major change” under center in the offseason, reports Cole.

At 6-2, the Chiefs are on track to make their third playoff trip in four years under Smith, whom they acquired from the 49ers before the 2013 season. During his four seasons in Kansas City, Smith has completed 64 percent of his 1,675 passes with 7.2 yards per attempt, 69 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. The 2005 No. 1 overall pick has posed a threat as a rusher, too, having accounted for 1,214 ground yards and five scores on 5.3 yards per carry. Smith has run just 19 times for 31 yards this year, however, and he missed the Chiefs’ 19-14 win over the Jaguars last Sunday with a head injury. Nevertheless, the 32-year-old has been durable as a Chief, having sat out just three regular-season games out of 56. In the 53 contests Smith has played, the Chiefs have gone a terrific 35-18.

While Kansas City has been victorious in only one of three playoff games with Smith at the helm, it’s nonetheless difficult to envision the organization cutting ties with him after the season. Releasing Smith would open up $9.7MM in cap space, but it would also leave $7.2MM in dead money. More importantly, the Chiefs would have a tough time finding a capable replacement. Backup Nick Foles is signed through next season, and he has fared well in Smith’s place this year, but he previously flamed out in both Philadelphia and St. Louis. The Chiefs also won’t have a high first-round pick with which to draft a ready-made successor to Smith, and – with the possible exception of Kirk Cousins – there won’t be anyone in Smith’s class available in free agency.

All things considered, it seems KC would be wise to give Smith at least another year. The team could move on from Smith prior to 2018, the final year of the extension he signed in 2014, and save $17MM in spending space against $3.6MM in dead cap.

La Canfora’s Latest: Trades, Collins, Harvin

November 6th, 2016 at 9:47am CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a look at the latest deluge of notes from CBS Sports scribe Jason La Canfora:

La Canfora confirms that the Eagles and 49ers had multiple discussions about a potential trade that would send Torrey Smith to Philadelphia, but the two sides could not agree on compensation. The Eagles would have sent a fifth-round selection back to the Bay Area in exchange for Smith, but the 49ers would not consider anything less than a third-round draft choice. Likewise, the Jets were asking for a “very strong return” for Sheldon Richardson, which some executives believe meant a first-round pick.
The Patriots‘ decision to deal Jamie Collins was not about money, per La Canfora, who observes that New England now has only $65.8MM in salary and cash committed to the 2017 payroll, by far the least in the NFL. Indeed, the Pats could have easily paid (or overpaid) for Collins if they really wanted to, but the trade suggests that Collins was simply not in their long-term plans. Some industry sources wonder if the trades of Collins and Chandler Jones suggest that New England is set to splurge in free agency, though it is difficult to imagine the Patriots being big spenders in March. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com confirms that the Pats did not consider Collins to be a part of their future, and that the team was slowly turning him into a part-time player and was concerned about the locker room issues that such a transformation could create (Twitter links).
Percy Harvin was not contemplating a return to the league when he was contacted by the Bills, La Canfora reports. Instead, the Florida product was happily retired and was investigating potential business deals. Buffalo senior vice president of football administration Bill Overdorf first raised the potential addition of Harvin several weeks ago, and other Bills executives got on board when the team suffered a second consecutive loss. Harvin is expected to see at least limited action Monday night in Seattle.
La Canfora reports that Chiefs brass is fully supportive of head coach Andy Reid‘s decision to keep Alex Smith out of game action this week, despite the fact that Smith remains asymptomatic of a concussion after taking two significant blows to the head last Sunday. Smith was able to lift weights regularly and work out as he normally would this week, and by Tuesday already had been cleared by an independent neurologist. However, Reid adopted a “better safe than sorry” approach that was heralded by team executives and by the NFLPA. Smith is expected to return to full practice tomorrow, which ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirms via Twitter. Justin Houston is also expected to return next week, according to La Canfora.

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