The Kansas City Star is reporting that the Kansas City Chiefs have agreed to trade Alex Smith to the Washington Redskins. This paves the way for rookie Pat Mahomes to begin the 2018 season as the starter. The Chiefs traded up in the 2017 draft to get Mahomes. This transaction also effectively ends the Kirk Cousins era in Washington.
Report: Kansas City Chiefs to Trade Alex Smith to the Washington Redskins
Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star broke the story:
Sources tell The Star that the Chiefs have reached an agreement to trade Alex Smith to Washington. The story: https://t.co/vlNuGMAlVS
— Terez A. Paylor (@TerezPaylor) January 31, 2018
ESPN’s Adam Schefter is also reporting some of the details of the trade:
Trade term update: Washington is sending KC a third-round pick and an unidentified player for QB Alex Smith, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 31, 2018
Smith cannot officially be traded until the new league year begins on March 14th, but multiple sources have confirmed it will happen. Smith played his last five seasons in Kansas City, accumulating a 50-26 record during that time. After struggling to shrug off the “game manager” label for most of his career, Smith had his best season as a pro, throwing for a career-high 4,042 yards and 26 touchdowns this season.
The news comes after Cousins stated earlier today he would play and not complain if the Redskins used the franchise tag on him for a third consecutive year. Now Cousins will look to play elsewhere in 2018. He and the Redskins have been unable to come to terms on a long-term deal. The tag seemed almost guaranteed to be the only option again this year.
There will be no shortage of quarterback-needy teams salivating over signing him as soon as free agency begins. This year he threw for 27 touchdowns to 13 interceptions as he tried to get on the same page with his new wide receivers. Washington let Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson walk in free agency, hurting Cousins’ numbers a bit.
From a financial standpoint, the deal makes sense for both sides. Kansas City would have been on the hook for $17 million this season when they already have Mahomes under a rookie contract. Washington would have had to pay Cousins about $34.5 under the franchise tag, a number that just seems ridiculous for any quarterback in the league.
