Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported Sunday morning that Chiefs rookie QB Patrick Mahomes is continuing to make progress and it’s “not off the table” that he will take over for Alex Smith at some point this season.
“My understanding is that it is not off the table that we will see Patrick Mahomes later this season at some point,” Rapoport said. “However, the Chiefs’ plan as it stands right now is to have Patrick Mahomes take a redshirt season. They plan to have Alex Smith [be] their quarterback for the rest of the year. They obviously hit a little bit of a lull. They believe it’s more physical mistakes than anything and they hope and think that the offense will respond.
“Also, it’s important to remember that Patrick Mahomes is still learning. He is still running the scout team in practice. [He] hasn’t run the Chiefs’ plays full speed since Week 4 of the preseason. He still has a little ways to go before he’s ready. But he is insanely talented. They love him. If the offense continues to falter, we could see him.”
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reports that while Smith has had the support of HC Andy Reid all week, his performance against the Jets will determine how short his leash gets Mahomes in waiting.
Smith got off to an impressive start to the 2017 season but has really struggled the past few months, which has led to plenty of speculation that it could be time to make a move at quarterback.
Smith, 33, 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 2017, Smith has appeared in 11 games for the Chiefs and thrown for 2,873 yards while completing 68.8 percent of his passes to go along with 19 touchdowns and four interceptions. He has also rushed for 235 yards on and a touchdown. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 11 quarterback out of 39 qualifying players.
We’ll have more regarding the Chiefs’ quarterback position as the news is available.
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