Alex Smith Extension Talks To Be Tabled If They Become A Distraction

Kansas City Chiefs QB Alex Smith made it clear that he will not allow ongoing contract negotiations to serve as a distraction.

“You’re getting to the point where either way, you want it to stop being a distraction,” Smith said, via The Kansas City Star. “You guys know how I feel about this, and it’s the truth.”

While it has been rumored that significant differences exist between the two parties, negotiations have continued, and Smith has been adamant about his desire to remain in Kansas City.

The question is how long into camp will Smith allow these negotiations to go on.  Smith stated that there is no “hard line” date, but that at some point, he will know it is time to focus on the season.

Smith, 30, is entering the final year of his current deal and will make $7.5 million for the 2014 season.

Previous reports have mentioned that the Chiefs are willing to franchise Smith in 2015 if talks stall. Franchising Smith would be expensive, as the 2014 tag was set at $16.912 million.

It will be interesting to see what happens, as there is little on the free agent market in 2015.  As of now, Andy Dalton and Jake Locker are likely the top two options.  The Chiefs do have some young quarterbacks in Aaron Murray, Tyler Bray and Chase Daniel, though at least one of these names likely will not be on the 53 man roster.

In his first season with the Chiefs, Smith led them to playoffs and played great in their first-round matchup against the Colts.  Smith also set career highs in passing yards with 3,313, rushing yards (431) and touchdowns (23) while only throwing seven interceptions.