NFL roundup: Alex Smith goes to Washington, replacing Kirk Cousins
By Brad Weiss
The NFL had a huge trade happen on Tuesday, as Alex Smith was sent to Washington, ending the Kirk Cousins Era for the Redskins.
While millions of people tuned in to watch the State of the Union on Tuesday, the NFL was doing its best to upstage the president. The Kansas City Chiefs swung a trade with the Washington Redskins, agreeing to send Alex Smith to D.C. in a pretty surprising move. The Redskins franchise-tagged quarterback Kirk Cousins the last two seasons, but never made a long-term commitment, which is a moot point now.
With Smith gone, that means it is officially the Patrick Mahomes II Era in Kansas City. The Chiefs traded up in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft to select Mahomes, who is an incredibly talented young man. In addition, the Chiefs got cornerback Kendall Fuller, who was the highest rated defensive player on the Redskins last season. Looks like Kansas City got the best of this deal.
Last season, Adrian Peterson began the year with the New Orleans Saints, but that lasted only a few games. He was shipped to the desert, serving as a running back for the Arizona Cardinals when David Johnson was lost for the season. On Wednesday, it was announced that the Cardinals would likely waive Peterson, who does not have a lot left in the tank, but could find a job easily this summer.
On Sunday, the New England Patriots will take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII, and you can be sure their star tight end will be ready. Rob Gronkowski had to leave the AFC Championship Game with a concussion, as he was hit in the head by Jacksonville Jaguars safety Barry Church. While he is still in concussion protocol, he expects to play on Sunday, and the Patriots offense should be able to put some points on the board with him in the lineup.
In other NFL news, it looks like FOX is getting into the Thursday Night Football mix next season. The huge network signed a contract to get 11 Thursday Night Football games in 2018, and will share the duties with the NFL Network, and another digital platform. Last season, Amazon got involved with Thursday Night Football, and it appears that FOX’s bid for the programming was over $40 million higher than CBS or NBC paid last season.