Alex Smith traded to Redskins and signs 4 year extension

[RedOctober3829]

Quarterback Alex Smith has a new home, as sources tell The Star that the Chiefs have reached agreement to trade their veteran starter of the last five seasons to Washington.

There is no word on the compensation yet, and any trade involving Smith can’t be completed until the first day of the new league year, which begins at 3 p.m. on March 14. But the sources say the deal is in place and will proceed.

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/article197508249.html

 

[singaporesoxfan]

Come on, we couldn’t title this Mr Smith Goes To Washington?

 

[snowmanny]

This is going to be crazy offseason for quarterbacks. I presume Brees and Garoppolo stay with their teams, but then you have questions about Taylor, Bortles, Jay Cutler, the three Vikings, Cousins, Foles, Eli, Glennon (FWIW) and possibly four quarterbacks going in the first six picks and I probably forgot a couple. This is shoe #1.

 

[Brand Name]

Come on, we couldn’t title this Mr Smith Goes To Washington?

I guess this is just another lost cause, Mr. Snyder.

 

[DJnVa]

Broncos are being mentioned as top landing spot for Cousins.

 

[RedOctober3829]

Smith has signed a 4-year deal to stay in Washington long term.

 

[Harry Hooper]

Where is Cousins going to end up?

Edit: Elway is on the trail?

 

[Mystic Merlin]

QB musical chairs begins!

 

[Brand Name]

[Y]ou have questions about Bortles

Granted this may have changed but this came out earlier today:

 

[Oppo]

This news is bumping the SB 51 comeback on NFLN

 

[RedOctober3829]

Kansas City is expected to receive a second-round pick from Washington for Alex Smith and possibly more, per source. But a second-round pick was the price as of this morning, before trade between KC and Washington finalized.

 

[snowmanny]

I missed that Delonte. I would be pleased if Jacksonville stuck with Bortles.

 

[BigSoxFan]

Smith turns 34 in May. Have to wonder how long he’ll be starter quality.

 

[DennyDoyle'sBoil]

I bet Arizona will take a run at Cousins.

 

[Hoya81]

Minnesota might decide to make a clean break from Keenum/Bradford/Bridgewater to make a run at Cousins. All other open QB slots are in various stages of rebuilding.

 

[DJnVa]

This news is bumping the SB 51 comeback on NFLN

Wait--I have the Pats-Eagles game on NFLN...

 

[DeadlySplitter]

So the Redskins took Smith because he's cheaper, right? because Cousins I think has the greater upside.

 

[RedOctober3829]

Now the trade is Smith to KC for a 3rd rd pick and a player to be named.

 

[Papelbon's Poutine]

So the Redskins took Smith because he's cheaper, right? because Cousins I think has the greater upside.

Cousins definitely has better upside, a better QB and is younger. But DC fucked up the Cousins contract and there’s ill will between him and the FO - they weren’t going to work something out. It’s a similar situation to the Pats and JG that some of us here were worried about. Capping a guy doesn’t lead to smooth negotiations for a long term deal.

 

[singaporesoxfan]

So the Redskins took Smith because he's cheaper, right? because Cousins I think has the greater upside.

Agree that Cousins has the greater upside, and also how does the Washington offense adjust to Smith’s conservative style? It’s an offense that depended on the threat of Cousins airing it out to Doctson / Pryor / whoever the X is to free up space for the short and intermediate passes to Crowder or Thompson.

 

[dcmissle]

So the Redskins took Smith because he's cheaper, right? because Cousins I think has the greater upside.

Because he’s cheaper, because Snyder never got over RGIII and because Kirk Cousins beat Snyder badly financially, totally schooled him. It was a rout.

I am very happy for Cousins.

Word about Denver has been strong here for weeks — but that could be a head feint by Elway.

 

[Ed Hillel]

70 million guaranteed:

 

[Brand Name]

70 million guaranteed!!

LOLOLOLLLLLLOLOLOLOLOLLL

I'm dying laughing over here, oh my god.

 

[koufax32]

Because he’s cheaper, because Snyder never got over RGIII and because Kirk Cousins beat Snyder badly financially, totally schooled him. It was a rout.

I am very happy for Cousins.

Word about Denver has been strong here for weeks — but that could be a head feint by Elway.

Denver’s D is aging, o-line is bad, no running game, yadda yadda...

I’d still be a bit worried if he went to DEN. Perfect spot as a NE fan would be ARI.

 

[SemperFidelisSox]

Guaranteeing 70 million to a 34 year old Alex Smith. This is what Brandon Marshall is talking about when he says the rest of the league should be embarrassed.

 

[DeadlySplitter]

or Washington is just stupid, OK.

Cousins doesn't want to be here, let's pay a lesser QB Cousins money

 

[BigSoxFan]

Holy shit.How do Redskins fans do it? I mean, really.

 

[dcmissle]

Agree that Cousins has the greater upside, and also how does the Washington offense adjust to Smith’s conservative style? It’s an offense that depended on the threat of Cousins airing it out to Doctson / Pryor / whoever the X is to free up space for the short and intermediate passes to Crowder or Thompson.

Cousins had no WRs here other Crowder this season. Pryor is a fraud and Doctson may well be a bust. Never replaced Garçon and DeSean Jackson. Oh, and their wonderful TE is made of porcelain.

And the o-line was done for much of the year. It was an exceptional job by Cousins in the circumstances.

 

[dcmissle]

or Washington is just stupid, OK.

Cousins doesn't want to be here, let's pay a lesser QB Cousins money

To be fair, Cousins probably will get at least 20 million more in guaranteed money. That’s he market for QBs.

The real sin is they could have locked Cousins up a year or two ago with this contract.

 

[InstaFace]

Good move by Washington, especially if the price is as low as rumored. Smith is one of the most underrated QBs in the league. He'll hold up to age 39, and at those prices, $23M AAV is going to be a bargain for QBs in his category in the next 5 years.

It's a bet that Smith doesn't get a crippling injury or decide to stop giving a crap about his preparation. I think that's a fair bet for them to take.

edit: not that they handled the Cousins situation in anything other than moronic fashion, but given their situation yesterday, this was a good move today.

 

[Oppo]

Wait--I have the Pats-Eagles game on NFLN...

Description on cable says NE-ATL but playing NE-PHI

 

[MarcSullivaFan]

Description on cable says NE-ATL but playing NE-PHI

Holy shit did Reid shit the bed.

 

[Marciano490]

Good move by Washington, especially if the price is as low as rumored. Smith is one of the most underrated QBs in the league. He'll hold up to age 39, and at those prices, $23M AAV is going to be a bargain for QBs in his category in the next 5 years.

It's a bet that Smith doesn't get a crippling injury or decide to stop giving a crap about his preparation. I think that's a fair bet for them to take.

edit: not that they handled the Cousins situation in anything other than moronic fashion, but given their situation yesterday, this was a good move today.

Isn’t a lot of his value in his mobility?

 

[dcmissle]

Good move by Washington, especially if the price is as low as rumored. Smith is one of the most underrated QBs in the league. He'll hold up to age 39, and at those prices, $23M AAV is going to be a bargain for QBs in his category in the next 5 years.

It's a bet that Smith doesn't get a crippling injury or decide to stop giving a crap about his preparation. I think that's a fair bet for them to take.

edit: not that they handled the Cousins situation in anything other than moronic fashion, but given their situation yesterday, this was a good move today.

It was the best move in the circumstances. Drafting a QB high for this team was a non-starter. Minnesota likely to shake Bridgewater or Bradford loose, but the medical risk on both is too high. Who else? Don’t mention Tyrod Taylor, misfit for the offense Gruden runs.

 

[RedOctober3829]

The trade is Smith for a 3rd and Kendall Fuller.

 

[Ed Hillel]

They gave up Fuller!? He’s arguably the top slot corner in the league and dirt cheap the next two seasons.

Jesus.

 

[dcmissle]

They gave up Fuller!?!? He’s arguably the top slot corner in the league.

Jesus.

Very costly.

Evidently, the Redskins had competition, maybe lots of it. Relates to point above about no good available starters —


Edit: Now Fuller says he is not in the deal —

 

[streeter88]

So the Pats got a second rounder and Brian Hoyer (effectively) from SF for Garoppolo. Until Kendall Fuller was announced as the PTBNL, I was thinking the Pats did pretty well compared to KC.

Now, not so much. But wait. Is Fuller in the deal or not?

 

[mauf]

My son went to bed upset that the Jaguars missed out on Smith. (He’s in denial and refuses to accept that they’re going to stick with Bortles.) He’ll feel better when he sees the price for Smith — not so much the acquisition cost, but the $70 million guarantee. If you’re going to shell out that kind of money, might as well pay Cousins and keep your assets.

I know Washington just got burned by tagging a QB, but they could’ve let Smith play out his 2018 contract for $14 million, then tagged him for $25 million-ish (assuming a bit of inflation) in 2019. How much longer than that is Smith going to be any good? Shocking to me that they ponied up another $30mm guaranteed to lock Smith up into the 2020s.

 

[InstaFace]

Did Smith have any sort of trade protection, such that the extension was necessary to get him to waive it? I realize NTCs are very rare in the NFL, but if he did, that might be an explanation.

 

[luckiestman]

I bet Todd Bowles would love a vet like Cousins. Does Cousins want a chance to spread the Gospel in NYC?

 

[dcmissle]

I bet Todd Bowles would love a vet like Cousins. Does Cousins want a chance to spread the Gospel in NYC?

He is a smart guy. Smart people keep an open mind about every opportunity.

We will see something soon that the NFL has never seen before —a very good starting QB (not elite, but very good) gets to totally unrestricted free agency. Cousins hit the jackpot because the Redskins were foolish and he was smart and disciplined.

What’s the Jets’ cap situation?

 

[luckiestman]

He is a smart guy. Smart people keep an open mind about every opportunity.

We will see something soon that the NFL has never seen before —a very good starting QB (not elite, but very good) gets to totally unrestricted free agency. Cousins hit the jackpot because the Redskins were foolish and he was smart and disciplined.

What’s the Jets’ cap situation?

I think only Cleveland has more money than us. I'm concerned about him being smart though, that seems to hurt our chances.

 

[Ed Hillel]

Did Smith have any sort of trade protection, such that the extension was necessary to get him to waive it? I realize NTCs are very rare in the NFL, but if he did, that might be an explanation.

No, but he could refuse to agree to an extension for certain teams, which would effectively keep them out.

 

[dcmissle]

I think only Cleveland has more money than us. I'm concerned about him being smart though, that seems to hurt our chances.

Cleveland has more bullets than the Pentagon, money and draft choices. If Cousins took them to a .500 season, there would be a parade. If he eventually got them to the playoffs, he would be a Midwestern hero.

Going there probably comes down to how he feels about John Dorsey.

 

[Fishercat]

It does actually seem to be Fuller, despite Fuller saying it's not Fuller...weird. Kind of bizarre that Fuller isn't the first player in Washington to know when he's getting on a plane to KC.

He is a smart guy. Smart people keep an open mind about every opportunity.

We will see something soon that the NFL has never seen before —a very good starting QB (not elite, but very good) gets to totally unrestricted free agency. Cousins hit the jackpot because the Redskins were foolish and he was smart and disciplined.

What’s the Jets’ cap situation?

This is going to be fascinating. We did have Peyton Manning hitting the free agent market (which seems like the last time this really happened) but he was coming off of a major surgery and in his mid-30's. It seems like we're getting to the financial point to where a market contract is going to hamstring the team who gets him when it comes to the other 52 players: I guess it's a much better problem to have than relying on Kizer or Petty but it's still gotta be a consideration.

 

[luckiestman]

This is going to be fascinating. We did have Peyton Manning hitting the free agent market (which seems like the last time this really happened) but he was coming off of a major surgery and in his mid-30's. It seems like we're getting to the financial point to where a market contract is going to hamstring the team who gets him when it comes to the other 52 players: I guess it's a much better problem to have than relying on Kizer or Petty but it's still gotta be a consideration.

Is a tough problem. I think Cousins is good and would be the best Jets QB in my memory (think about that for a minute). O'Brien, Boomer, Testaverde, and Penny were probably all a bit worse than Cousins. But, Cousins is not Brady, Rodgers, prime Rapist, or the Tennessee Teabag, so it's tough to commit that kid of loot to him.

 

[Kliq]

I think Smith is a really underrated passer; I’m not sure Mahomes is going to be a quality NFL starter but I assume KC has to try. He has weapons and a coach who will help him along.

I think Denver or Jacksonville have to be kicking themselves for not landing Smith (unless they are going for Cousins). I think Smith on a team with the talent to go far in the playoffs is the ideal situation; I don’t know how much he can prop up Washington’s offense.

 

[dcmissle]

Here is a prediction about Cousins — he’s not going to take the last dollar. There will be some pressure, self imposed, to do right by the QB fraternity. But I think he’s going to focus on where he thinks he can win, and although the contract will be record setting (for maybe a half hour), he will probably make some concessions.

 

[singaporesoxfan]

Cousins had no WRs here other Crowder this season. Pryor is a fraud and Doctson may well be a bust. Never replaced Garçon and DeSean Jackson. Oh, and their wonderful TE is made of porcelain.

And the o-line was done for much of the year. It was an exceptional job by Cousins in the circumstances.

Agree with everything you say. My only point was Washington’s offense is built on the QB airing it out a lot more than Smith ever does.