Why Alex Smith is being pushed to greatness in 2017

2017 is a job interview

A job interview is exactly what this season is for Smith. His performance this year will direct his professional future. So many questions will be answered after the last whistle.

If Smith plays great, and let’s say the Chiefs get to the Super Bowl, it would make sense that Kansas City wants to stick with Smith for one more season. Say the Chiefs happen to win the Super Bowl, one will imagine the quarterback for the champs wouldn’t be released.

If the Chiefs fall short of bringing home the hardware, but Smith still plays well, the organization may be ready to move forward with the future. This is the general consensus among those who have an opinion. A good season by Smith gives him plenty of invites from teams needing veteran leadership and a decent quarterback next offseason. A number of teams would love to have Smith at the helm no matter his performance this season, but a great season opens many more doors.

We cannot pretend that he does not realize what is at stake here. Put yourself in his shoes. You would be working harder, taking more chances, studying more film, and you would be pushing yourself more than ever before.

It is a hollywood script. A veteran quarterback who has grown comfortable being mediocre. A stud rookie ready to take his spot. While I refuse to write the rest of that script, Hollywood is fairly consistent of feeding us “the last hoorah”.

The pressure to be great is all on Alex Smith. When the time comes that Smith is no longer a Chief, the shoes will not be easy to fill. Then I will be writing an article called “Pushing Mahomes to Greatness.”