Chiefs were absolutely not going to trade Alex Smith to Broncos
By John Buhler
Trading a Pro Bowl quarterback is rarely a good idea, but there was no way the Kansas City Chiefs were going to send Alex Smith to the rival Denver Broncos.
A little over a week ago, the Kansas City Chiefs orchestrated a trade with the Washington Redskins that sent shock waves through the NFL during Super Bowl week. Kansas City sent their Pro Bowl quarterback Alex Smith to Washington for promising cornerback Kendall Fuller and a future pick.
The Chiefs were ready to move off Smith in favor of their 2017 first-round pick, Patrick Mahomes. But guess who needed a franchise quarterback and wasn’t about to get Smith: the Chiefs’ AFC West rivals, the Denver Broncos. It wasn’t like Chiefs owner Clark Hunt was going to help out Broncos general manager John Elway on his quest to replace Peyton Manning.
Though no trade is official until March when the league calendar switches over, Hunt did say this at the NFL’s Honors show: “I think it’s pretty typical in the NFL not to seek trades within the division. That’s pretty standard fare particularly when we’re talking about a high-profile player.’’
Of course, Denver will still look to upgrade the quarterback position this spring. It’s hard to think that they will trot out Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler or Paxton Lynch in Week 1 unless the Broncos absolutely have to. They might go with a promising collegiate signal caller at No. 5 in the 2018 NFL Draft. Denver could also be in line for the guy that Smith replaces in the nation’s capital, top free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins.
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Cousins will not be back in Washington in 2018, unless the dysfunctional Redskins use the franchise tag on him for a third year in a row. He stands to make a fortune in free agency. Denver and the New York Jets seem to be his two biggest bidders. By not trading Smith to the Broncos, that could pave the way for Denver to get a fired-up Cousins in 2018. Let’s hope Cousins doesn’t turn into a nemesis for the Arrowhead Addicts.