Kansas City Chiefs: The 5 biggest moves of Brett Veach’s first year as general manager
By Matt Conner
1. Trade Alex Smith
The plan worked as well as hoped—at least so far.
When the Chiefs first selected Patrick Mahomes in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, it put a counter on Alex Smith’s tenure with the team. Every other NFL franchise knew it was only a matter of time—of when, not if—the Chiefs would cut loose of their starting quarterback. It should have hurt his market considerably.
Yet the season played out in storybook form. There was no drama—none at all—which is a miracle in today’s NFL. Alex Smith played the role of veteran mentor without a hint of sarcasm. Patrick Mahomes played the respectful rookie without a hint of anxiety. Clark Hunt said the right things. Andy Reid said the right things. Brett Veach said the right things. Every single player followed suit.
Even more important, Smith looked damn good in 2017. Not only did the Chiefs make it to another postseason, their fourth in five years, but Smith enjoyed a career year statistically speaking with his first 4,000 yard season and 26 touchdowns to only 5 interceptions. He also rushed for another 355 yards, proving that he’s dangerous when given space to run.
If anything had gone differently, Veach would have been in a much more precarious position. If Smith wasn’t willing to play along, if there was a team leak that disrupted the harmony, if Smith would have been injured, or if Smith would have allowed the competition to get into his head, all of this would be much, much different.
However Smith’s banner year gave Veach all the trade ammo he needed and the Washington Redskins ponied up to provide a third round pick and cornerback Kendall Fuller. Washington has their man at quarterback, which is a win for sure, but the Chiefs did well to get back what they did when everyone knew Smith was gone either way.