After originally stating that a decision had not yet been made on the future of Alex Smith in San Francisco, it now looks like the quarterback could be on his way out. Head coach Jim Harbaugh approached media during the NFL Combine and discussed the possibility of trading Smith once free agency began. He made it clear the team would not move on with Smith on the roster.
San Francisco front-office officials have met with several agents to gauge interest in the soon-to-be free agent quarterback. Smith will be owed $8.5 million in salary and bonuses this season. That is a lot of money for a backup quarterback. Harbough remained coy on the prospect of trading Smith, but made it pretty clear they will not be paying that money to Smith.
"Alex is really playing the best football of his career the last two years. We think we got the best quarterback situation in the National Football League, feeling strongly about that. Again, that'll be a process that plays out. Alex Smith continuing to be a 49er or if a trade occurs in the next weeks or months. Those are the two possibilities, most likely possibilities," Harbough said.
The team has made it clear they intend on moving with Colin Kaepernick as their starting quarterback for the upcoming season. Smith lost the starting job to Kaepernick midway through last season and was never placed back in the lineup again. The team will not keep Smith as the most expensive backup in the league.
So the question becomes, where will Smith land. The obvious target will be Kansas City. With no clear No. 1 quarterback in this year's NFL draft, Smith could be the Chiefs best option. Chiefs general manager John Dorsey recently said he did not see a quarterback in the draft that is a sure-fire first round pick. Smith represents the best available option.
The Chiefs are not the only team that is interested in Smith. The Arizona Cardinals have reportedly shown interest in the quarterback. The 49ers will expect to get something decent in return for Smith. The team is currently looking into the cornerback market in free agency and could try and negotiate a trade for either team interested in the veteran.
