Alex Smith trade: The view from Washington’s side

Washington Redskins fans are less optimistic about the Alex Smith trade than they’d like to be at this point.

News broke late Tuesday night about a trade between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Washington Redskins involving quarterback Alex Smith. At first, there were very limited details leaving fans on the edge of their seat to find out what they were getting for their former starter. By the end of the night, Smith had agreed to a four-year extension with the Redskins, locking him in for five years, and the Chiefs were receiving a third-round pick and young cornerback Kendall Fuller.

There are some Chiefs fans that aren’t as optimistic as most, but it looks to be a promising deal for the Chiefs on paper. There have been reports about offers the Chiefs turned down that came out on Wednesday afternoon, but it’s hard to be mad at what you got from Washington. Landing a high third round pick and a cornerback that is 22-years-old with two years left on his rookie deal and had a breakout year in 2017 is pretty good for a guy you were going to let go of anyway.

Most of Chiefs Kingdom has taken to social media about their excitement of getting a young corner to add to their secondary that desperately needs help. It’s also given fans the realization that quarterback Patrick Mahomes will officially be their starter in 2018.

Washington fans, on the other hand, are much less pleased with the trade that went through. I interviewed Ian Cummings of Riggo’s Rag, FanSided’s Redskins blog, and asked his thoughts on the trade. With Kirk Cousins being franchise tagged the last two years it didn’t make sense to bring him back but how much better was Smith’s new deal?

“A Kirk Cousins deal would have taken a big chunk out of the Washington Redskins’ salary cap, but giving Alex Smith a deal worth around $22 million doesn’t look much better, at first glance. Smith is a year older, and many believe Cousins to be the gunslinger type quarterback out of the two. Despite the hefty sum given up to sign Alex Smith, I’m not against the deal. Smith is far better and far more proven than most of the other options on the quarterback market. The Washington Redskins are a team close to a playoff push, in terms of talent and coaching. With Smith, they can remain competitive, all the while keeping a bit of financial flexibility.”

Similar to the Chiefs, Washington can build the rest of their team while having a quarterback that will keep them competitive. It’s also the first time that they’ve known who their future quarterback is in a while, giving some fans comfort.

“I, like many D.C. sports fans, am just glad that the team finally has some closure at the quarterback position. The one-year deals were hurting this team. Now we know what we have moving forward. That’s a good feeling, and it’s a feeling we haven’t been accustomed to for some time. Smith’s deal helps, to some extent, because now the Redskins save some money that they may have spent paying Cousins. But by paying for higher quality in Smith, it may be harder to nab players in free agency. Nevertheless, it’s a better situation than the team would have had with Cousins, and it keeps the quarterback position under wraps. The Redskins are not in rebuild. But they do need some patchwork.”

Most of that patchwork is on the offensive side. The defense has some great talent while the offense could use some tuning up. After wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon left in the 2017 offseason, they tried bringing in Terrelle Pryor with little success. Tight end Jordan Reed has not been able to stay on the field due to injuries and Vernon Davis is getting older. The crimson and yellow also need to find someone to compliment Chris Thompson at running back.

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The Redskins have spent the last few years bringing in new cornerback talent. Veteran Josh Norman was signed to a big deal just two years ago, Quinton Dunbar was moved from wide receiver to cornerback and has made a pretty nice transition, and they still can sign Bashaud Breeland back.

“Redskins still have a solid CB duo in Josh Norman and Quinton Dunbar. And if Bashaud Breeland gets paid with the extra savings taken from this deal, then the group is almost as strong as it was last year.”

Even with the depth that they still have at the cornerback position, most fans are not happy with the trade. They felt that Fuller showed great potential at such an early time in his career and it was not someone they were expecting to trade. When news started breaking about a possible player many fans thought it was safety Su’a Cravens. They had no problem letting him go with the drama between him and the team. It was when it was announced that they were giving up Fuller that fans were upset.

“There are pros and cons to this trade, and while it is growing on me, I would not have made this trade. Kendall Fuller was a very valuable asset for this team; one of the best players on the defense, and at just 22 years old. To cut him away when he was just coming into his own is a baffling move, and although the acquisition of Alex Smith rationalizes that decision, to some extent, it will never atone for it.”

There are also fans that were willing to take a bridge type season that was much less expensive. Quarterback Colt McCoy has been sitting behind Cousins for a few years now and some fans were willing to give him a shot and draft their future. Paying Smith for the next five years was not the route they wanted to go.

“I was a fan of a more conservative route. Colt McCoy has been on the team for three years, waiting for his chance. I would have let him start off the 2017 season, while grabbing Richmond quarterback Kyle Lauletta in the second or third round of the NFL Draft. Lauletta projects well as a pro, possessing fluid mechanics, great decision making skills, and considerable arm talent. That is the route I would have taken. This way, you get your supposed quarterback of the future, and you keep a draft pick and a top-tier cornerback.”

Next: How will Alex Smith fare in Washington?

Most Chiefs fans are ecstatic about the trade with Washington while their fans are the opposite. There’s a large portion of the fanbase that believes they are settling and overpaying for mediocrity. Overpaying for one quarterback only to pay slightly less for another is a waste of cap and time in their eyes. There are fans like Ian that are trying to stay optimistic even though they don’t agree with the trade. Only time will tell if this trade will benefit the Redskins in the long term.