The Kansas City Chiefs and quarterback Alex Smith appear to be at an impasse as it relates to their contract negotiations. According to the Kansas City Star, Smith is potentially looking for a long-term contract that will pay him $18 million per season.
A source tells me negotiations continue between the #Chiefs and Alex Smith, but there are "significant" differences between the two sides.
— RIP Terez A. Paylor (@TerezPaylor) July 18, 2014
Those numbers are similar to what the likes of Jay Cutler, Tony Romo and Matthew Stafford are averaging annually.
The argument in favor of Smith receiving this type of money is the fact that he’s 30-9-1 as a starting quarterback since the start of the 2011 season. Acquired in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers last offseason, Smith led the Chiefs to a surprising 11-5 record and a postseason appearance in 2013.
Smith finished the campaign with over 3,300 yards, 23 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. He’s also thrown 53 touchdowns compared to just 17 interceptions in his last 40 starts.
That’s obviously a part of the negotiations that Smith and his agent are bringing to the table with Chiefs general manager John Dorsey, as Smith hinted towards to the Kansas City Star. Following up a question that brought Cutler, Romo and Stafford into the conversation, Smith responded…
We’re getting pretty close to where I’m not thinking about any of that,” Smith said. “But certainly when you’re talking about comparables and what the marketplace is for a quarterback, certainly you’re looking at that, and I feel like my body of work of the last three, four years is right up there with a lot of those guys. No question, when you’re trying to put a value on something like that, you look at a lot of stuff.
The argument against Smith receiving elite quarterback money is that his win-loss record is skewed by the talent that has surrounded him over the past three seasons. While there is no reason to question the talent San Francisco possessed during Smith’s final two seasons with the team, the Chiefs were among the most talented overall units in the NFL last season.
You know that Dorsey is bringing into the conversation the idea that wins and losses are a team stat, not an individual stat. And there is a ton to back up that idea.
In any case, Smith is set to earn over $7 million in 2014, the final year of his contract. Kansas could either try to get something done prior to the start of the season or potentially place the franchise tag on the veteran signal caller next offseason.
Photo: NY Post