Reactions To Alex Smith Trade
It was widely rumored that the Chiefs would trade Alex Smith this offseason, but few expected him to be moved in January and almost no one saw him going to the Redskins. But, on Tuesday night, Kansas City and Washington agreed to a blockbuster deal which will have far-reaching implications around the NFL. Here’s a look at some of the reactions following the mega-trade:
- Cornerback Kendall Fuller was a vital part of the Redskins and a tough piece to part with, ESPN.com’s John Keim writes. Fuller, who earned a tremendous 90.0 overall grade from Pro Football Focus in 2017, was one of the best pieces of Washington’s D. Meanwhile, fellow cornerback Bashaud Breeland is scheduled for free agency, so Washington could have multiple holes to fill in the secondary.Keim also feels that it’s tough to justify the extension for Smith which will reportedly pay him at an average of $23.5MM per year with $71MM guaranteed. Then again, the full details of the extension have yet to surface, so the deal might be more palatable for Washington if they can easily escape the contract after the first year or two.
- The Smith deal means that Kirk Cousins will finally hit free agency and Mike Sando of ESPN.com lists the Cardinals, Browns, Broncos, Bills, Jets, Dolphins, Jaguars, Vikings, Giants, Buccaneers, and Colts as possible landing spots. Still, it’s not a given that all of these teams will make a run at him. The Cardinals would almost certainly like to add someone of Cousins’ caliber, but their cap room is an issue. The Buccaneers already have Jameis Winston under center, so it’s not especially likely that they’ll make a serious play for Cousins. Cousins signing with the Colts would be a shock – to say the least – given that Andrew Luck is expected to come back healthy in 2018. The Jaguars, who have less cap room than most of the teams listed here, may want to stick with Blake Bortles after reaching the AFC Championship Game. The Vikings, meanwhile, have three starting-caliber quarterbacks about to hit the free agent market and logic dictates that they will try to retain one of them (most likely Case Keenum).
- In a sense, the Redskins’ sacrifice of a third-round pick in this year’s draft will be offset by the likely addition of a third-round compensatory pick in 2019 gained after Cousins signs elsewhere, as Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports tweets. The Redskins also will have more cap room to work with in the coming years with Smith under center rather than Cousins.
- The Redskins did a good job of fixing the mess they made with Cousins, but Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com refuses to congratulate owner Daniel Snyder and president Bruce Allen for creating the mess in the first place. The Redskins also could have gotten a better return for Cousins by franchising him for a third season at $34.5MM and fielding trade offers from teams that would have acquired him and extended him to reduce the cap hold. Now that they have Smith under contract with a $20MM+ cap charge in 2018, they have no choice but to allow Cousins to walk.
- More from Barnwell, who writes that it’s too early to grade the trade for the Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes is a high-ceiling, low-floor option for 2018 and even under the best of circumstances, there should be some growing pains. Still, Barnwell believes that Kansas City got a tremendous talent in Fuller. Fuller emerged as an excellent slot cornerback last season and still has two years left on his rookie deal at a combined cost of less than $1.4MM. The Chiefs may put Fuller on the outside to see if he can be their new CB2 opposite of Marcus Peters, but they could also leave him in the slot and use him as a roving weapon.
- Multiple teams expressed some interest in trading for Smith, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. One source tells Schefter that six clubs reached out to Kansas City to try and trade for the veteran. We know that the Cardinals and Browns both had interest in acquiring the soon-to-be 34-year-old.
- Fun fact: Smith is the first QB to lead the NFL in touchdown-to-interception ratio (26 TD, 5 Int, a 5.2 ratio) in one season and then change teams the following year, according to the Elias Sports Bureau (Twitter link).
Chiefs To Acquire CB Kendall Fuller
The Chiefs will receive cornerback Kendall Fuller from the Redskins as part of the Alex Smith trade, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Kansas City is also acquiring a 2018 third-round pick from Washington.
The Redskins’ decision to part with Fuller in exchange for Smith is fairly surprising given that Fuller is still only 22 years old and performed like one the NFL’s best cornerbacks in 2017. Fuller played two-thirds of Washington’s defensive snaps a season ago and graded as the league’s No. 6 cornerback, per Pro Football Focus. Football Outsiders was also a fan of Fuller’s work, as the former third-round pick ranked second in success rate and eighth in yards per pass allowed.
Fuller’s contract situation is also appealing, as he still has two years left on his rookie deal. While the Redskins have agreed to a four-year, $94MM extension with Smith, Fuller will earn less than $1.5MM from 2018-19. That’s incredibly important for the Chiefs, who were projected to be nearly $10MM over the cap when the 2018 league year began in mid-March.
Now that he’s in Kansas City, Fuller figures to step immediately into the club’s starting lineup opposite fellow cornerback Marcus Peters. The Chiefs ranked just 23rd in pass defense DVOA in 2017, but they now have the opportunity to revamp their secondary, as Terrance Mitchell, Kenneth Acker, and Phillip Gaines are all scheduled to hit free agency in roughly six weeks. Veteran Darrelle Revis is technically under contract for 2018, but he’ll be released before his $10MM guarantee kicks in on March 14.
Browns Tried To Trade For QB Alex Smith
Before the Chiefs sent Alex Smith to the Redskins, the Browns made a play for the veteran quarterback, according to Mark Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. As many as six teams may have expressed interest in Smith, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Broncos had some level of interest in Smith, but it’s not clear if Denver actually discussed an acquisition with Kansas City, per Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link).
Washington ultimately acquired Smith in exchange for a 2018 third-round pick and an unidentified player, so Cleveland presumably was unwilling to meet that asking price. The Browns not only own higher draft choices than do the Redskins, but also possess more total selections, meaning general manager John Dorsey & Co. had the ammunition to make a deal. Dorsey, notably, previously acquired Smith from the 49ers as Kansas City’s general manager in 2013.
Cleveland is fully expected to pursue quarterback upgrades this offseason, and may be open to adding a veteran signal-caller via trade or free agency and using an early-round pick on a passer. Smith would have given the Browns a competent starter under center, allowing the club to either bring in a first-round rookie — such as USC’s Sam Darnold, UCLA’s Josh Rosen, Wyoming’s Josh Allen, or Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield — or give 2017 second-rounder DeShone Kizer more time to develop.
But now that Smith is on board in the nation’s capital, the Redskins won’t be signing fellow quarterback Kirk Cousins, who will now hit the open market. The Browns expressed interest in trading for Cousins during the 2017 draft, and while Cleveland now has a new front office in place, it’s fair to assume the club will have pursue Cousins now that he’s a free agent. The Browns are second in the NFL with nearly $110MM in available cap space, meaning they’ll have the flexibility to offer him a hefty contract.
Chiefs To Trade QB Alex Smith To Redskins
In a blockbuster move that will have wide-ranging implications around the NFL, the Chiefs have agreed to trade quarterback Alex Smith to the Redskins, reports Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. When the deal becomes official on March 14 (the first day of the 2018 league year), Kansas City is expected to receive a third-round pick (No. 78) and a player who will be identified Wednesday, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
In 2017, the 33-year-old Smith led the NFL in passer rating (104.7) and finished third in adjusted net yards per attempt while setting career-highs in completion percentage (67.5), yards (4,042), and touchdowns (26). He also posted a career-low interception rate of 1%, and scored well in Football Outsiders’ metrics, which ranked Smith ninth in DYAR and 10th in DVOA.
Despite that production, the Chiefs were widely expected to trade Smith given the presence of Patrick Mahomes, whom Kansas City traded up to acquire in the 2017 draft. Mahomes’ only real action during his rookie campaign came during a meaningless regular season finale, but the Chiefs shipped two first-round picks plus a third-rounder to Buffalo for the right to select Mahomes at pick No. 10, and they’ll capitalize on that investment.
Smith is only under contract through the 2018 campaign, and it remains to be seen if Washington has interest in working out an extension. Kansas City was projected to be roughly $10MM over the cap next season, so clearing Smith’s $14.5MM base salary, $2MM roster bonus, and $500K workout bonus will help out the club’s books., while the Redskins boast more than $52MM in cap space, meaning they can easily fit Smith onto their ledger.
Washington’s decision to not only take on Smith’s salary, but install him as the team’s starting quarterback, means Kirk Cousins will (at long last) officially hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent. Although the Redskins could have explored a variety of options regarding Cousins, including the franchise/transition tag or a long-term deal, the club never seemed willing to commit to a lengthy contract for its starting quarterback.
A third consecutive franchise tender would have netted Cousins more than $34MM in 2018 alone, but he’ll now be free to possibly double that figure in guaranteed money on his next contract. The Jets were the most recent team to be linked to a Cousins pursuit, while club such as the Bronco, Browns, and Cardinals could also make sense as potential landing spots.
The Chiefs, meanwhile, are now facing something of a restart on offense a year after ranking fourth in DVOA, fifth in yards, and sixth in points. In addition to Mahomes now being under center, Kansas City will be without offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, who is now the Bears’ head coach. Former running backs coach Eric Bieniemy has since been promoted to OC, while head coach Andy Reid will personally direct Mahomes as the club’s play-caller.
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Alex Smith Discusses Trade Rumors
During an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show, Alex Smith fielded questions about his future with the Chiefs. The 14th-year quarterback wishes he had more control in this process. He could well be traded for the second time in his career.
The soon-to-be 34-year-old passer has one year left on his Chiefs contract, and it seems likely Kansas City (as of now projected to be $9MM-plus over the 2018 cap) will pull the trigger on a deal.
Chiefs' LBs Coach Won't Return
- The Chiefs announced a slew of hirings and transitions. Most notably, Gary Gibbs will no longer serve as Kansas City’s linebackers coach. Gibbs served on staff for nine seasons, hired as part of Todd Haley‘s first group. The Chiefs will divvy up Gibbs’ responsibilities by placing previous assistant defensive line coach Mike Smith in charge of the outside linebackers and previous assistant linebackers coach Mark DeLeone in command of the inside ‘backers. Corey Matthaei is now K.C.’s assistant O-line coach, while Joe Bleymaier will become assistant quarterbacks coach under new QBs instructor Mike Kafka. Terry Bradden and David Girardi will take quality control positions, on defense and offense, respectively.
Chiefs LB Kevin Pierre-Louis Arrested
Chiefs linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis was arrested on Thursday night, according to Terez A. Paylor and Tony Rizzo of KansasCity.com. The 26-year-old was charged with “misdemeanor possession of marijuana, THC and drug paraphernalia, driving without a valid driver’s 
license and failure to display a valid license plate or current registration.”
Pierre-Louis appeared in Johnson County District Court on Friday and pleased not guilty to the various charges. He was subsequently released after posting a $2,500 bond.
The 2014 fourth-round pick out of Boston College spent the first three seasons of his career with the Seahawks. He was traded to the Chiefs last offseason in exchange for linebacker D.J. Alexander, and he proceeded to have the best season of his career. Pierre-Louis played in 14 games for Kansas City in 2017, compiling a career-high 41 tackles.
Chiefs Promote Mike Kafka To QBs Coach
- The Chiefs will promote offensive quality coach Mike Kafka to quarterbacks coach, according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. Kafka, 30, originally entered the league as a 2010 fourth-round of Andy Reid‘s Eagles and went to play for six other clubs before hanging up his cleats. He coached at Northwestern (his alma mater) before joining Kansas City’s staff in 2017. Reid’s coaching tree is obviously impressive, and the past two men to serve as quarterbacks coach under his employ — Doug Pederson and Matt Nagy — are now head coaches with the Eagles and Bears, respectively.
Andy Reid To Call Chiefs' Plays Again
- As Jackson transitions away from play-calling responsibilities in Cleveland, Andy Reid will pivot back to them in Kansas City. The sixth-year Chiefs HC will call plays in 2018, he said Thursday (via Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star). This could be expected since Reid lost Matt Nagy, who called plays for the Chiefs late in the season, to Chicago. New OC Eric Bieniemy has never called NFL plays before, and Reid maintained play-calling duties during the start of Nagy and Doug Pederson‘s tenures before ceding those reins toward the end of their respective runs. Reid revealed he called plays in Week 17, which was Patrick Mahomes‘ NFL debut, despite a run of success for Nagy late in the season. That interruption could be notable since Mahomes could well be K.C.’s starter in 2018.
Chiefs To Retain Bob Sutton
Plenty of teams have ousted their defensive coordinators this offseason, but the Chiefs won’t be joining them. This week, head coach Andy Reid confirmed that Bob Sutton will remain stay on as the team’s DC in 2018. 
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“There’s nothing going on there,” Reid said when asked directly if Sutton will return (via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star). “I know everybody has their opinion on everything, just like they did when they wanted me to bench Alex Smith. That turned out pretty good. So [replacing Sutton] is not where I’m at or have ever been. I don’t listen to any of that. I do what I think is right for the Kansas City Chiefs.”
Sutton has been the Chiefs’ DC since 2013. In the last five years, the play of the defense has fluctuated quite a bit. the Chiefs had the No. 7 defense in the NFL in both 2014 and 2015, but they slid back into the bottom third of the league over the past two seasons. Last year, the Chiefs finished 28th in total defense, leading many to point the finger at Sutton.
Of course, it’s not really fair to blame it all on Sutton given the rash of injuries the Chiefs had in 2018, including maladies suffered by safety Eric Berry and edge rusher Dee Ford. The team is also probably looking to maintain some continuity after losing offensive coordinator Matt Nagy to the Bears.