Has The Alex Smith Trade Been Worth It?

Jan 4, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith (11) celebrates after throwing a pass for a touchdown during the second quarter of the 2013 AFC wild card playoff football game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Around this time last year we were debating whether or not it was a good move to trade two second round picks for Alex Smith, and if it was a good idea to still select a quarterback with a high round draft pick. There was plenty of debate about Geno Smith, who was widely considered to be the best quarterback in the draft. Some thought the Chiefs should still take him with the number one overall pick.

As things turned out, Geno Smith would have been available to the Chiefs with their original second round pick had the Chiefs not traded it to San Francisco. There were some who claimed the Chiefs botched the Alex Smith trade because they could have had Geno Smith in the second round, but instead of using one second round pick on the top quarterback in the draft, the Chiefs used two second round picks to acquire Alex Smith.

Nearly a full year later the Chiefs are coming off a surprising 11-win season and a playoff berth, a season that would not have happened if Alex Smith wasn’t the quarterback. Much of Kansas City’s hope to return to the playoffs in 2014 rests on the notion Alex Smith is the Chiefs quarterback. It should also be noted there has not been a lot of moaning this off season about trying to find a better quarterback. The focus instead has been on finding better receivers and a free safety.

Meanwhile, Geno Smith struggle in his rookie season and the New York Jets signed Michael Vick to potentially replace him.

The question now is whether or not the Chiefs made the right decision to send two second round picks to San Francisco for Alex Smith. Having a second round pick in this year’s draft would be extremely useful but there is no way the Chiefs would be in playoff contention if Geno or someone else was the Chiefs quarterback.

On the other hand, the Chiefs could have punted the quarterback question until this year and had a top five pick again in the draft. A top five pick this year could potentially have involved Teddy Bridgewater, Blake Bortles, or Johnny Manziel going to the Chiefs. A quarterback plus a high second round pick to select one of the top wide receivers in this year’s draft would have been nice. Plus, Kansas City would have had a second round pick in last year’s draft where they could have selected Justin Hunter, Zach Ertz, Giovani Bernard, or Kiko Alonso.

The ‘what if” scenarios are endless. So we ask you, Addicts: A year removed from the Alex Smith trade, did the Chiefs make the right decision? Vote in the poll and let us know your reasoning in the comments.