In a move that everybody saw coming, Alex Smith has been traded by the San Francisco 49ers and will join the Kansas City Chiefs.
To acquire Smith, the Chiefs have given San Francisco their second-round pick in the 2013 draft (No. 34 overall) and a conditional mid-round pick in the 2014 draft. The Chiefs are now set to release starting quarterback Matt Cassel to make way for Smith, who will play under his current contract of $8.5 million in 2013. No new contract has been discussed yet between the Chiefs and Smith.
The trade, which cannot officially be completed until March 12, has given Kasas City new hope for the future as they bring in a very talented quarterback.
The writing was on the wall for Smith’s career in San Francisco after Colin Kaepernick took over for him while he sat out with a concussion. Kaepernick burst onto the scene and took the NFL by storm, leading the Niners to Super Bowl XLVII. Smith never retained his starting job from Kaepernick, but remained professional throughout the entire season and continued to mentor his replacement all the way through their Super Bowl loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Smith, the 2005 No. 1 overall draft pick, has thrown for 14,280 yards in his career with 81 touchdowns and 63 interceptions.
*Note: We will update this story as more details emerge.
[ESPN]
