Long-time 49er Alex Smith has been traded from the Chiefs to Washington, likely replacing Kirk Cousins and becoming the first domino to fall in what should be a wild quarterback market this offseason.
Kansas City last spring drafted Smith’s replacement in Patrick Mahomes. They are handing the offense over to the Texas Tech alum after the Chiefs were upset in the Wild Card round of the playoffs at home by the Tennessee Titans earlier this month. It marked the second straight season the Chiefs’ lost a playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium.
The deal to Washington was first reported by the Kansas City Star and can’t become official until the start of the new league year March 14. The compensation is unknown.
The deal means Cousins is poised to hit the open market after becoming the first quarterback in league history to get the franchise tag for consecutive seasons. Washington was unable to get a long-term deal done with Cousins and, with the trade, elected not to give him the tag for a third-straight year at some $34 million.
Smith has one season remaining on his four-year, $68-million contract he signed with the Chiefs in 2015. He’s scheduled to make $17 million — roughly half of what Cousins would have cost on the tag.
With pending free agent Jimmy Garoppolo assured to get retained by the 49ers, Cousins would become the hottest commodity on the free-agent market with a number of quarterback-needy teams expected to be interested.
Those could include the Broncos, Cardinals, Browns, Bills, Jets and possibly the Vikings, who don’t have any quarterbacks signed for 2018 after playing in the recent NFL title game.
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