Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith is preparing for his team’s postseason run. According to Denver Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib, these playoff games will be Smith’s last in a Kansas City uniform.
The Denver Broncos corner went on The Vic Lombardi Show to sing the praises of rookie Patrick Mahomes, who started against Talib’s Broncos in Week 17.
“I saw enough of Patrick Mahomes to think Alex Smith is going to be a free agent next year,” Talib said to Lombardi, as transcribed by Joel Thorman of Arrowheadpride.com. “That guy can play some ball, Vic. That guy can play some ball. He’s smart. I saw him checking protections, I saw him reading the defense. We know how strong his arm is. The guy is a competitor. I think Alex Smith, he definitely might be on the market this year.”
There were some definite positives from Mahomes in Week 17. He was 22-for-35 for 284 yards in Kansas City’s win. He also ran the ball seven times for 10 yards. On the final drive, which set up the game-winning field goal, Mahomes was 4-for-5 for 52 yards, and added a four-yard run.
Certainly, it would be hard to replace Smith if he takes the Chiefs on an extended postseason run (or even wins a championship). That said, Talib is probably right — even Smith himself seems to know it.
The Chiefs traded up to the No. 10 spot to draft Mahomes in the 2017 NFL Draft. Chances are, they didn’t do that only to see Mahomes on the bench for two seasons.