The Kansas City Chiefs should trade Alex Smith to the Jacksonville Jaguars

ArmchairAddict1 /

The Jacksonville Jaguars were just minutes away from defeating the New England Patriots and advancing to the Super Bowl on Sunday. While their quarterback Blake Bortles had a good game overall, there is simply no debating the fact that he was the weak link on their roster this season. The Jaguars are built to win now and that is why the Kansas City Chiefs need to act soon and work out a deal to send them Alex Smith.

I’m not going to waste any time in this post debating whether or not the Chiefs SHOULD trade Alex Smith. If you don’t think it’s time for them to move on and let Patrick Mahomes take over, that’s your right. I just disagree and I think 90% (or more) of Chiefs Kingdom agrees with me. The Chiefs are clearly enamored with Mahomes and they need to clear cap space to be able to bolster the rest of the roster this offseason.

So assuming the Chiefs agree with me that it is time to trade Alex Smith, why are the Jacksonville Jaguars THE team to deal him to?

Simply put, they have the greatest need for a quarterback like Alex Smith.

Good for the Jags

The Jaguars don’t need one of the numerous first round quarterback prospects to build around going into the future. Their roster is built to win right now. In the NFL you have to strike while the iron is hot. If they wait for a rookie quarterback to develop (IF he develops at all) there is no guarantee that their defense and running game will still be championship caliber. They also don’t need a prolific passer to put up 400 yard passing games and 40+ points week in and week out. They need a quarterback that they can trust to protect the football and hit receivers when they are open.

That is Alex Smith.

I get that Blake Bortles was okay in the playoffs. He was pretty good against New England overall, was decent against the Pittsburgh Steelers and did enough with his legs against the Buffalo Bills. The bottom line is that when the chips are on the line you just can’t trust a quarterback with a career completion percentage of below 60% and an average of 16 interceptions per season over his four year career.

Good for Smith

We as Chiefs fans like to say that everything has to be perfect in order for Alex Smith to win a Super Bowl. Let’s be honest though, things have to be way less perfect for Smith than they do for Blake Bortles. Not only are the Jaguars in need of a quarterback like Smith, but Smith is in need of a team like the Jaguars. Alex Smith has given his all to the Kansas City Chiefs over the past five seasons. He may not have delivered the Chiefs the postseason wins that us fans would have liked, but you simply can’t question his effort during his time here. I would love to see him go to a team where he has one last shot at success. He doesn’t deserve to go to a struggling team where he takes countless sacks and numerous losses until he decides to retire.

I truly believe that if you looked at every NFL roster going into 2018 and picked the one that is best constructed for Alex Smith, it would be the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Jaguars give him that chance. They are exactly the type of team he needs around him to excel. They have a fantastic defense and are 100% committed to running the football. I truly believe that if you looked at every NFL roster going into 2018 and picked the one that is best constructed for Alex Smith, it would be the Jacksonville Jaguars. That’s not to say that they have the best roster in the NFL, just the one that may be the best fit for Alex Smith to win with.

Just in case any of you are unsure if Jacksonville would see Alex Smith as enough of an upgrade over Blake Bortles just look at their completion percentage and interceptions over the past four seasons.

Blake Bortles: 59.1% completions, 64 interceptions
Alex Smith: 66.3% completions, 26 interceptions

That difference for the Jaguars would take them from one of the league’s worst in completion percentage to one of the league leaders and the difference in interceptions would be just about as extreme. You give a team that’s rushing attack and defense are good enough to win ten games and advance to the AFC title game that big of an upgrade to the passing game and they suddenly become a favorite in the AFC in 2018.

Good for the Chiefs?

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So we’ve now covered why the Jaguars would want Alex Smith and why Alex Smith would want to go to the Jaguars, but would it be a smart move for the Kansas City Chiefs?

In my opinion, absolutely.

I get that some fans might be concerned with the Chiefs trading Alex Smith to a team that is already a threat in the AFC. However, I think the Chiefs have to focus on doing what is best for their team and their roster. The Chiefs need to start Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs need to clear cap space to upgrade their overall roster. The Chiefs need to make up for the fact that they traded their first round draft pick in order to move up and draft Mahomes last year. That’s why they need to trade Alex Smith to the Jaguars for their first round draft pick.

That’s right, their first round pick.

Some of you may think I’m crazy to even suggest it, but hear me out. The Jaguars should be picking at number 29 so it is the very end of the first round. I believe that if the Jaguars want Smith, their late second round pick may not be enough. There are teams like the Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals that pick before Jacksonville that would be more tempting to the Chiefs. The Browns in particular have two early second round picks, and their general manager happens to have some pretty strong Kansas City connections.

The thing is, those teams aren’t as desperate to win RIGHT NOW. The Browns are obviously just starting to build themselves out of the NFL’s basement, while the Cardinals have an aging roster with a new coach that will be wanting to establish himself in a new direction. Both of those teams could use a dependable veteran quarterback, but the Jaguars are the only one looking for a quarterback that could help them win a Super Bowl next year.

If the Jaguars believe Smith could be that guy, then he is absolutely worth a late first round pick. The Vikings gave up a first round pick for a lesser quarterback in Sam Bradford when they found themselves in need with a similarly stacked overall roster. Now, that was a more desperate situation given how close to the start of the season it was, but it still shows what a good team will pay if they feel like a quarterback could put them over the top. Bottom line, there isn’t a player that the Jaguars could draft at pick number 29 that could help them win a Super Bowl next season more than Alex Smith.

Obviously, if the Chiefs get an offer of a first round pick for Smith they HAVE to take it. Period. I don’t care if it makes Jacksonville a bigger threat than K.C. next year; the Chiefs are building for the long haul with Patrick Mahomes, and the guy they would get at pick 29 could definitely be part of that future.

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So what do you think Chiefs fans? Am I crazy for thinking that this could happen? Do you agree that Jacksonville and Alex Smith are a perfect match for each other? Do you agree that if the Jaguars think Alex Smith is the missing piece of the puzzle for them that they could offer the Chiefs their late first round pick for him? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

As always, thanks for reading and GO CHIEFS!!!

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