Chiefs QB Alex Smith said that he does not think the team is committed to him after drafting Patrick Mahomes with the No. 10 overall pick.
“I think [the Chiefs are] committed to me [only] through this year,” Smith said, via Adam Teicher of ESPN. “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.”
Kansas City moving on from Smith doesn’t come as much of a surprise after trading up to draft Mahomes. Chiefs HC Andy Reid also said recently that Smith would be willing to help Mahomes, but also admitted there’s a “catch 22” for Smith.
“The thing you know about our team, and it really doesn’t matter what the position is, guys are willing to help,” Reid said, via Pro Football Talk. “That’s a ‘Catch-22’ by [Smith] knows [Mahomes is] going to be right behind him. . . . [Smith] sure can help and he will. That’s how he’s wired. But he’s also going to get himself ready to roll.”
Smith, 32, is a former first-round pick of the 49ers back in 2005. After seven years in San Francisco, Smith was traded to the Chiefs in 2013.
Smith is in the fourth year of his five-year, $76 million contract that includes $45 million guaranteed and stands to make a base salary of $10.8 million for the 2017 season.
In 2016, Smith threw for 3,502 yards while completing 67.1 percent of his passes to go along with 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 14 quarterback out of 34 qualifying players.
Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!
