- 2 days ago
The thrill of gambling is the opportunity to hit big, and the Kansas City Chiefs won the jackpot. However, playing with fire can get ya ass burnt. After a decade of poor to middling seasons, Kansas City had already struck gold and entered a new era of success in the early 2010s, led by quarterback Alex Smith. He’d reached heights that the franchise hadn’t seen in years or ever and was considered by some as a Chiefs legend. So how exactly does a player of that stature get attached to a deal that altered NFL history? The Chiefs’ decision to trade Alex Smith was a big deal.
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00:00The thrill of gambling is the opportunity to hit big, and the Kansas City Chiefs won the jackpot.
00:07However, playing with fire can get your ass burnt.
00:11After a decade of poor-to-middling seasons, Kansas City had already shrugged gold and entered a new era of success in the early 2010s, led by quarterback Alex Smith.
00:21He'd reached heights that the franchise hadn't seen in years, or ever, and was considered by some as a Chiefs legend.
00:30So how exactly does a player of that stature get attached to a deal that altered NFL history?
00:36The Chiefs' decision to trade Alex Smith was a big deal.
00:41Apologies for the quick interruption, but trust me, you want to hear what I gotta say.
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01:04You may have noticed I didn't mention a certain someone's name, but he ain't the boogeyman, so let's address it now.
01:10Some may know this dude as the guy who throws a Taylor Swift's boo, while others simply know him as the multi-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes.
01:19In 2017, with Smith still a member of the team, the Chiefs made a bold move to trade up and draft Mahomes.
01:28The organization hadn't selected a quarterback in the first round since the early 80s, and in a package deal that included future draft picks, the trade signified that the franchise viewed Mahomes highly.
01:39Which, uh, felt like a strange move, considering experts had credited Smith's stability as the reason the Chiefs transformed into a success.
01:50Smith was proven. Mahomes still had questions about his game.
01:56Was winning not good enough for Casey?
01:59Did his tight end, like being attached to a massive pop star at the time, become part of his ultimate demise?
02:05Obviously kidding on that last bit, but Smith had a bit of a rollercoaster journey before joining the Chiefs.
02:13As a sophomore at the University of Utah, Smith earned the starting job after then-quarterback Brett Elliott went down with an injury and never looked back, going on to be drafted first overall by the San Francisco 49ers in 2005.
02:27Smith went through eight intense seasons in the Bay Area, battling through claims of being a bust in his early years,
02:33dealing with inconsistency of the head coach spot, reinventing himself as a top QB under head coach Jim Harbaugh,
02:41and leading SF to the conference championship in the 2011 season,
02:44all to be ultimately replaced the following year when he suffered a concussion and lost his job to Colin Kaepernick.
02:52Smith had performed well pre-concussion, and many journalists believe he still deserved to be a starter in the league,
02:58but Smith's future with the Niners always seemed shaky.
03:01In 2013, Smith got his chance to prove his worth in a trade that saw him land in Kansas City.
03:09Historically, the Chiefs weren't really known as a franchise where quarterbacks thrive.
03:15The organization's plan had revolved around acquiring backups and turning them into starters,
03:20with Matt Castle being their latest victim in failed experiments.
03:23However, journalists expected a different outcome with Smith.
03:28Before acquiring Smith, KC also hired head coach Andy Reid in 2013 to help the franchise move away from its losing ways.
03:37Reid came strapped with a strong track record of developing quarterbacks,
03:41and journalists believed the Reid-Smith pairing would break the cycle of poor luck under center and KC.
03:46Their first year proved to be a hit as Smith led the Chiefs to a hot undefeated start through nine games,
03:52as experts praised his play under Reid.
03:56They went on to lose in the wildcard round of the playoffs that season,
03:59blowing a first-half lead in a tight high-scoring shootout, but the blueprint had been set.
04:04With Reid calling the shots and Smith as the signal caller,
04:08the Chiefs were set up for ultimate success going forward.
04:11Something they certainly achieved, but mostly in their regular season.
04:18As the years passed and KC continued to make the playoffs,
04:22the franchise became synonymous with early exits,
04:25and Smith got hit with the scarlet letter of being labeled as a game manager.
04:30It's a bit of a buzzword term that journalists and fans alike have attached to quarterbacks
04:34who are thought to have limited capabilities and do what they can do to get victories
04:38by making as few mistakes as possible, aka good, but not great.
04:43As Smith continued to stack wins in the regular season,
04:46questions and concerns from the media about his ability to lead the Chiefs in the playoffs began to mount.
04:52Smith himself was aware of the pressure, as he and the Chiefs won the AFC West in 2016,
04:57earning a first-round buy in the playoffs.
05:00Statistically, Smith's postseason numbers were actually quite good,
05:04with a passer rating among the best in the league.
05:06He tossed clean games, but just couldn't win.
05:11A victory in the 2016 divisional round would have landed Smith back in the conference championship
05:16and potentially quieted his doubters,
05:18but a 16-18 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers only led journalists to double down on claims
05:25he was incapable of winning the big game.
05:28It seemed that the Chiefs as an organization felt the same way.
05:32Of course, it was something Casey Brass wouldn't publicly admit,
05:37but behind the scenes, Kansas City reportedly believed they had reached their ceiling with Smith.
05:43It's like having a significant other that you rock with heavy,
05:46but just didn't see his wifey or hubby material.
05:49Mahomes was clearly Casey's new bale of the ball as Reed gushed over his abilities,
05:55and some experts believed the Chiefs would turn to their new bay sooner rather than later.
06:01If that were the case, Kansas City had some options they could explore.
06:06Smith was in his early 30s at the time with two years remaining on his contract,
06:09but the franchise had the flexibility to release him without taking a huge hit.
06:153.6 milli is nothing to blink at,
06:17but if the Chiefs felt that confident in turning the keys over to Mahomes,
06:22it would be the more financially savvy move,
06:24rather than letting Smith play out his contract where he was set to earn 30 of them fangs.
06:30However, releasing Smith came with risks.
06:33Kansas City clearly had confidence in Mahomes,
06:36but history wasn't on the organization's side when it came to drafting quarterbacks.
06:42By cutting Smith, the team would be losing a reliable starter,
06:45getting nothing in return,
06:47and would be left to depend on the player that journalists viewed as a boom or bust prospect.
06:53If they wanted something back,
06:54Casey could have explored trade options for Smith before the upcoming season,
06:58but that came with his complications.
07:01The Chiefs' initial decision to draft Mahomes shocked the league,
07:05and while mortgaging their future appeared to be a massive gamble,
07:08franchises across the NFL weren't prepared to load Kansas City with more ammo if Mahomes were to pan out.
07:16Leaving the Chiefs the option to do, well, nothing.
07:20With Smith under contract for a couple of more years,
07:23the Chiefs had time to afford for Mahomes to develop while Smith remained the starter.
07:28It's a strategy that other teams have implemented and found success.
07:32While Reed spoke glowingly of Mahomes,
07:35his emphasis on the quarterback's potential impact seemed to be geared toward the future.
07:40Reed never believed Mahomes would be running from the get-go,
07:43and the process required patience,
07:45pointing to Smith still being the guy for the time being.
07:49With Smith under center in 2017,
07:52the Chiefs experienced a turbulent season,
07:54teetering the line between flawless and mid.
07:57The veteran sliced up defenses and steered the Chiefs to an undefeated 5-0 start,
08:03shaking off that nasty label from the past,
08:06and played his way into early MVP contention.
08:10Journalists wondered if Smith's phenomenal performance
08:13altered their whole QB of the future thing with the young rookie Mahomes.
08:16Now, some of those tunes changed when the Chiefs hit a mid-season slump
08:23and media members called for a new arm,
08:25but Smith flipped the switch and finished the year strong,
08:29delivering the best season of his career
08:31as he led the Chiefs to their first ever repeat division title.
08:35It wasn't just his play,
08:37but teammates and journalists praised his poise and leadership
08:40for steering the ship and getting the Chiefs back on track.
08:43Media members believed there was no rush for KC to move on from him,
08:48but if they did,
08:49Smith's performance had certainly upped his trade value.
08:53As the Chiefs clinched the division early that season,
08:56Reed rested his starters for the final game,
08:59giving Mahomes the opportunity to start,
09:01and despite an impressive showing by the young QB,
09:04media members stood strong that Smith should remain the guy going forward.
09:09After a fantastic season,
09:11Smith had the shot to cap off the year
09:13and put all the playoff talk behind him
09:15if he and the Chiefs rattled off some postseason wins.
09:18Ah, damn!
09:21As KC failed to the Tennessee Titans in the wildcard round,
09:24the Chiefs openly seemed ready to move on from Smith.
09:28It wasn't that the Chiefs were actively shopping their QB,
09:32but the going rate for quarterbacks that offseason was at a premium,
09:35and after seeing their first rounder light it up during Week 17,
09:39Kansas City felt they had to at least listen to offers.
09:42After a season where Smith held the league's top passer rating,
09:46the calls came in plenty.
09:49The immediate frontrunners to land Smith's talents
09:52were the Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns.
09:55Arizona wasn't a surprise,
09:57as the team originally made a run for Smith when he was a Niner,
10:00but with their quarterback Carson Palmer retiring at season's end,
10:04acquiring Smith made even more sense this time around
10:07for the vet to lead a new era of Cardinals football.
10:11The Browns had the leg up.
10:14Cleveland's new GM, John Dorsey,
10:15had seen Smith's development up close and personal
10:18as he originally orchestrated the trade to get the QB to KC
10:22when he held general manager duties for the Chiefs five years prior.
10:26It would be tough to fault Dorsey if he followed the same blueprint
10:30that saw an immediate change in fortune for the Chiefs.
10:34Besides the needed QB for Cleveland,
10:36as rookie quarterback Deshaun Kizer struggled mightily in the previous season,
10:40the Browns seemed to have the most at their disposal
10:43to offer Kansas City with the ability to outbid any team.
10:47However, Smith didn't seem too thrilled about the possibility
10:52of going to those losers in Cleveland
10:54and preferred to land with a winning franchise.
10:58Ultimately, the Chiefs kicked off the 2018 offseason
11:01with a blockbuster deal that sent Smith to Washington
11:04in exchange for a future third-round pick
11:06and cornerback Kendall Fuller,
11:08a player who was key in getting the deal done
11:11as KC viewed him highly.
11:13The trade came as a surprise
11:14as Washington was at a standstill
11:16with their own quarterback, Kirk Cousins,
11:18ultimately deciding to part ways.
11:21And while Cleveland appeared to be the logical landing spot for Smith,
11:25journalists believe that the Chiefs went against the trade
11:28in respects to their former quarterback's wishes
11:30and keeping him out of the same comforts.
11:33The Chiefs decided that Smith's greatness under center
11:36wasn't good enough
11:37and pulled off the ultimate gamble
11:39as the franchise went on to lay their claim
11:41as a dynasty with Mahomes.
11:43In Washington, Smith suffered a gruesome injury
11:47that changed the rest of his career.
11:50Now it's easy to say the Chiefs made the right call.
11:53We've seen the results.
11:55However, while someone steps to the craps table
11:58with the optimism to roll seven,
12:00you could just as easily end up with snake eyes.
12:03The odds weren't on Kansas City's side.
12:05But they bet the house
12:07and their role to trade Alex Smith
12:09ended up being a very, very big deal.
12:14Thanks for watching this episode of Big Deal.
12:25If you enjoyed it, you're in luck
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12:31Or if you hated it,
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12:38It's good for numbers.
12:39Okay, bye now.
12:44Bye now.
12:45Bye now.
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