Chiefs: Shopping for QB of the future
By Laddie Morse
When Andy Reid and John Dorsey came to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013 they got their quarterback in a trade and they got their left tackle in the draft. Now, three years down the line, it’s easy to project that both of those two, Alex Smith and Eric Fisher, could be gone in two years: Smith as a cap casualty and Fisher unless his play improves.
While there’s an outside chance the Chiefs could get their next left tackle of the future in this draft, it seems unlikely. This is not to say that Eric Fisher won’t take a big step forward and become the player we all hope he can become but, for now, he’s not shown he’s that guy. More importantly, by the end of this offseason, we may not know any more than we know right now about the future of the Chiefs left tackle position.
That’s not the case for the Chiefs quarterback position. By the end of this offseason, we may know exactly where that position is headed… and who’s taking us there.
The question that I’m sure John Dorsey and Andy Reid have pondered a lot is, who will their next quarterback of the future be and where will he come from? This offseason will in all likelihood bring us clarity about the QB issue.
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Cap Update: The Salary Cap for 2016 has been set at 155.27M per team. The Chiefs carryover announced this week leaves them with a total of nearly 157.9M in total cap space and about 32.7M to spend.
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Before going too much further it’s important to note that the current man at the helm, Alex Smith, has a contract that pays out:
+ 14.1M in 2016 when he’ll be 32 years old. The Dead Money and Cap Savings (if he were cut) aren’t worth talking about because he’s going nowhere right now.
+ In 2017, when he’ll be 33, his contract calls for salary of 10.8M with Dead money of 7.2M and a 9.7M Cap Savings.
+ In 2018, Smith will be 34 and is scheduled to get 14.5M, with 3.6M Dead Money and 17M Cap Savings.
Right now, it looks like Smith will be here this year and next and… maybe… could be… or probably will be… gone in 2018 because of the 17M in Cap Savings if he’s cut (unless he turns into Tom Brady). Although, if his play is strong enough… and maybe he leads this team to a championship in the next two years… then his agreement could be re-structured on a deal that allows him to stay with the Chiefs a couple more seasons. Right now, that’s hard to determine.
When reviewing Andy Reid’s history with QB Donovan McNabb, it’s important to note that Reid walked away from McNabb as a starter following his 11th season and Alex Smith just finished his 11th. Consequently, a high probability scenario must be considered and prepared for… that the Kansas City Chiefs will push a new QB into the starting role in 2018.
That’s why, in all likelihood, you’ll see the Chiefs make a move for a new starting quarterback of the future during this offseason… if possible. Another reason the Chiefs may be making a move to get another QB this offseason… is that there are a number of them available for hire.
On Thursday John Dorsey said back-up Chase Daniel was someone he’d like to keep but that he (Chase) had also expressed a desire to start somewhere. The interpretation is… Chase Daniel is headed for a role with another team, possibly starting for Philadelphia, and Kansas City will be forced into one of three scenarios:
- Back-up- signing another back-up QB who is not coming with any other intention than to be a back-up. In other words, a temporary replacement for Chase Daniel.
- Promotion- using one of their current roster QBs, Aaron Murray or Tyler Bray, and moving them into the back-up role with the idea that they will be the heir apparent.
- New QB- drafting or signing a QB (who is new to the team) who is coming in specifically to be the man of the future with the idea that they’ll hold the clipboard for two years.
Next: Is the QBOTF on the Chiefs Roster?