Alex Smith’s Future With Chiefs Could Be Determined By Second-Half Performance

Jason Cole of B/R reports that Alex Smith‘s future with the Chiefs could be determined by how the team performs in the second half of the season.

According to Cole, the Chiefs like Smith “mistake-free” style but there are still some questions about whether he can lead them to a championship. With this in mind, Cole mentions that if the Chiefs don’t capitalize on what’s considered to be a deep and talented roster, it’s possible quarterback changes could be coming next year.

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 currently in the third year of his five-year, $76 million contract that includes $45 million guaranteed and stands to make a base salary of $14.1 million for the 2016 season. After that, Smith has salaries of $10.8 million (2017) and $14.5 million (2018) coming his way.

According to OverTheCap.com, releasing Smith next year would free up $9.7 million in available cap space while creating $7.2 million in dead money.

In 2016, Smith has thrown for 1,638 yards while completing 66.1 percent of his passes to go along with eight touchdowns and two interceptions.