Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area writes that there’s a chance that 49ers QB Alex Smith could follow offensive coordinator Greg Roman to Jacksonville, assuming that he’s hired as the Jaguars next head coach.
Maiocco adds that $8.5 million is “way too much for the 49ers to pay a backup” and that sum will become guaranteed if he’s still on their roster as of April 1.
The Jaguars have already said that they intend to bring in two quarterbacks either in the draft or free agency and Roman has been connected to Jacksonville for weeks now, even before they parted ways with head coach Mike Mularkey. This requires a few things to fall into place before it can even be considered, but it’s not all that far fetched.
The 49ers will almost certainly shop Smith around the league to see what kind of trade value he has before deciding whether or not release him outright. Colin Kaepernick figures to be in a great position to receive a long-term contract extension given the pressure that Smith’s contract is putting on the team to make a decision regarding their future.
The Chiefs, Browns and Cardinals have also been mentioned as speculative options for Smith if or when he becomes available.
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Dunno how I feel about the potential of this. I’d think Smith wouldn’t want to go to Jacksonville, unless he doesn’t care at all about winning right now. I also don’t think Jacksonville should be looking at a fairly expensive QB who will be 29 going into the season (yes, not too old at all, but a little older and more expensive than a rebuilding team would like, I’d think). I think Smith would be more of a fit for, say, the Jets, and I think Jacksonville would rather look again at Blaine Gabbert or see if they can get a good young QB in the draft. But, I’m no GM, or player, so who knows what they might be thinking.
You make a good point that the Jaguars should look to get younger versus spending on a free agents like Alex Smith, assuming of course that he’s released. The Jets do make sense, but their cap situation is so dire that they can’t even consider adding a free agent quarterback at this point in time. Drafting a QB makes more sense for them.