The Kansas City Chiefs have made a trade for a new starting quarterback by acquiring Alex Smith from the San Francisco 49ers, but there is a good chance they could make another move in the future, possibly making another trade for New York Jets backup Tim Tebow.
The Chiefs will likely part ways with Matt Cassel now that they have acquired Alex Smith since he has been a disappointment after signing a long-term contract with the team. Brady Quinn was solid last season in a backup role and while starting for Cassel after he went 1-7, but he is not a future option for the team.
Although Tim Tebow provides limited skills at quarterback, new Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has proven willing to take a chance on players, like he did with Michael Vick, and he would love to have a change of pace player on his bench to use whenever he would like.
Although the Jets sorely underused Tebow all season last year, he performed well when asked to play, rushing for over 100 yards and completing six of eight passes while on the field for 73 plays. Cassel has gone just 29-33 since 2008 and after leading the Chiefs to the playoffs in his first season, he has been a disappointment, including last season when he threw for twice as many interceptions as touchdowns.
Cassel has thrown for 80 touchdowns and 55 interceptions since 2008, after which he joined the Chiefs in a trade from the New England Patriots. He signed a six-year, $63 million contract after he joined the team and the Chiefs would like ot get out of that money after trading for Smith.
Cassel could easily find a starting job with the New York Jets, which could be a way for Tebow to get to the Chiefs. It is more likely that Cassel will be released, so the Jets could grab him at a much-discounted price if the Chiefs decide to cut him. Kansas City also owns the number one overall pick in the draft, which is something they could use if they decide to make a trade.
The Chiefs were expected to take Geno Smith or another quarterback with the number one overall pick, but that plan changed after they made the trade for Alex Smith. The quarterback is coming to the team at an affordable price, as he is still on his three-year, $24 million deal that he signed last offseason and will make $7.5 million base salary in 2013.
Smith offers number one overall pick talent for the Chiefs and while Tebow would cost some draft picks, he could offer the Chiefs a while new element on offense. Smith has proven to be a competent starting quarterback over the past two years before being replaced by Colin Kaepernick, passing for 3,144 yards with 17 touchdowns in 2012 while taking the team to the NFC Championship game.
Smith went 6-2-1 as a starter before suffering a concussion and Kaepernick took over the starting job and never gave it back, leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
