The Kansas City Chiefs will deal with trade rumors this season regarding Alex Smith after drafting Aaron Murray and those calls will be even louder if the team can't come to a contract extension agreement with their quarterback and as of this week the two sides are not close to a deal despite the public comments from KC and head coach Andy Reid.
The Chiefs traded a second round pick for Smith before last season to the 49ers and now he is coming into the final year of his deal and is looking for an extension. Smith took the team to the playoffs last season, but so far there has not been much movement and while Reid and general manager John Dorsey have been on the optimistic side of things regarding the contract, reports say otherwise. According to Pro Football Talk, Smith and the team are not currently close on a contract extension and it could lead to some issues down the line for the 30 year old, especially with Murray now in the fold after being drafted this year.
Dexter McCluster is gone and that is another player out of the offense and while De'Anthony Thomas was drafted, it remains to be seen how he will contribute. Jamaal Charles was fantastic last season, but the Chiefs need more on offense and Smith is the center factor in all of it. Last season Smith had 23 touchdowns and just seven interceptions with over 3,300 yards and those were both career high numbers. Smith finished the season strong and now is looking for a long term commitment and while Reid likes Smith and what he has done for the team, clearly the front office is playing hardball.
Last season the Chiefs rebounded from being the worst team in the NFL to making the playoffs and while they lost once again early, the team feels like they are on the cusp of breaking through. The window with Smith now could be over after this season, but the team has Jamaal Charles and now De'Anthony Thomas to keep things going and this is just a year after the team had the number one overall pick in the draft. The team picked Eric Fisher with that selection and now he will be thrust into a major position on the offensive line this season.
The Chiefs struggled getting the ball down the field last season with Smith and they ranked 24th in the league in passing yards per game with 208 yards and Reid is hoping to get that into the top half of the league this season. Charles had nearly 1,300 yards rushing and was fantastic while scoring 12 touchdowns and being a major factor out of the backfield, but depth issues could come back to bite the team. Last year Alex Smith was the second leading rusher for the team and Charles was the leading receiver and that will have to change on both counts for the team to challenge the Denver Broncos in the division. Charles was first on the team over Dwayne Bowe in receiving and the Chiefs will have to spread the ball around more in 2014.