The Kansas City Chiefs have been mentioned in trade rumors as of late and now Alex Smith and Brandon Flowers both could be on the trading block coming up after the draft, as KC picked both Aaron Murray at quarterback and Phillip Gaines at cornerback and that could mean their starting jobs and futures with the team are in question going forward.
Smith was acquired before last season for a second round pick with the 49ers and while Andy Reid has loved what Smith has done, the team has trouble coming to a contract extension and that is why the pick of Murray is intriguing. Even before the draft many speculated that the Chiefs would pick a quarterback for a number of reasons, one being the Smith deal, the other being that Reid is a QB coach and he was looking to develop a young player for the future and now that appears to be Murray.
Adding to the situation is the fact that Smith is in the last year of his contract and now the Chiefs have some leverage with Murray coming in and while he may not start right away, the team at least now has a better option than Tyler Bray, who is a developmental QB at best after coming out of Tennessee. The team has used a pick before on a QB and spending that second rounder hurts after the talent in this draft, but teams have to deal with what is in front of them and right now Smith is coming into the last year of his deal and now he has a promising rookie behind him with a fantastic resume from Georgia. Murray and AJ McCarron went in back to back picks and they are experienced players from the SEC and Murray easily could find himself playing this year.
Smith is going to make $8 million this year and that is not a crazy amount for the Chiefs, or for another team to bring on for next season in a trade. The Houston Texans are a logical option, but they may not want to make a deal, while a few other teams also have needs at QB after the draft. Smith likely will remain in KC, but the fact that Murray is there means that Reid and company can stick with him in the future if a deal is not worked out.
NFL.com reported that the team was shopping Brandon Flowers heading into the draft and while they did not make a move on him, one could be coming in the future. The team picked Phillip Gaines from Rice in the third round and that means they see him as a potential starter and that could mean the end of the line for Flowers. SI.com writes that Flowers is a player that could be on the move or at least in danger of losing his starting job now that Gaines is in the mix. The Chiefs made some interesting moves at the draft and after losing Dexter McCluster in the offseason, they brought in De'Anthony Thomas with the pick before Murray and those two names could be future stars for the Chiefs.
