Monday, January 28, 2013
Alex Smith's next team
By Tim Kavanagh
UPDATE: Another interesting take on the Alex Smith situation that's set to unfold in the coming weeks.
Grant Cohn of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat believes that a more realistic scenario for Smith and the Niners is for the QB to give the team a list of other clubs to which he'd like to be traded, and the 49ers will try to accommodate his wishes. In Cohn's view, this is a more likely outcome than an outright release.
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Even before the 2012 regular season was over, it was clear which teams would be in the market for a QB for 2013 and beyond, and as the offseason got rolling with all the head-coaching moves, the chatter on the QB market has only intensified. One of the names that continues to pop up as an option for QB-needy teams is Alex Smith, currently employed by the San Francisco 49ers as their backup QB.
We say currently, because it's expected that the Niners will attempt to market him in trade once the new league year begins. However, if it were up to Smith, he'd rather find a destination of his own choosing. Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the Utah product is seeking his release prior to the start of the next league year in March.
Smith will lose his current contract (with $8.5 million for 2013) if that winds up being the case; on the other hand, the new one he signs could be more lucrative given the number of teams looking to find another starting option for the upcoming season. The Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles have all been mentioned as speculative possibilities thus far. We've heard that the idea of his landing in Cleveland has something more to it than just idle speculation. Stay tuned.
