It was widely believed that the San Francisco 49ers would be trading quarterback Alex Smith during the offseason and it now appears that the team has a deal in place. Any deal for Smith could not be official until the new league year begins on March 12, but Jason La Canfora of the NFL Network says that the trade is “effectively complete.”
Per La Canfora:
The 49ers have expressed to others that a deal for QB Alex Smith is effectively complete. Can't be finalized til league year begins 3/12
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) February 24, 2013
so it's not official, both clubs view it at as it's effectively done. I do not know the other team. KC and JAX are 2 teams that make sense
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) February 24, 2013
While the Chiefs and Jaguars “make sense,” you can rule out Jacksonville.
Jaguars beat writer Ryan O’Halloran says that Jacksonville general manager Dave Caldwell told him the team is not the one with a deal in place.
That leaves us with the Kansas City Chiefs.
If the Chiefs can lock up a deal for Smith, it immediately improves their quarterback situation. It will be interesting to see how soon the deal goes down once the new league year begins.