NFL Rumors: Alex Smith asking Kansas City Chiefs for ‘top-tier’ money
By Bryan Rose
While Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith is a fine game manager, there’s nothing about him that you’d consider to be comparable to ‘top-tier’ quarterbacks around the NFL.
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But that hasn’t stopped the signal caller from asking the Chiefs for elite money.
That’s the word from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport who says the former No. 1 overall pick is looking for ‘top-tier’ money in his upcoming contract extension.
“Key “problem” for #Chiefs/Smith: There is no 2nd-tier QB market,” says Rapoport. “It’s franchise QB or… not. Why he’s pushing to be paid like a top-tier QB.”
In fairness to Smith, there’s no reason to not ask for an elite contract as it gives him negotiating room to move down if talks do progress, however it’s obviously unrealistic and could irritate the Chiefs front office.
For what it’s worth, in recent days both Smith and the Chiefs have expressed optimism that the two sides would be able to work out a deal, though media pundits seem far less convinced that a middle ground will be found. That makes sense given Smith’s reported contractual demands.
It’s been said that Smith’s camp believes he’s worth an extension even greater than the one the Chicago Bears provided Jay Cutler which currently pays the former Vanderbilt talent over $18 million dollars annually.
Kansas City’s best option may be to let Smith play the season out and if he continues to impress, use the franchise tag on him. If he regresses or fails to improve, they can either move on or sign him at a much more reasonable rate.
Alex Smith’s wife spoke out about the rumors today, calling them ‘comical’ and ‘misinformed’.