October 7, 2017 Jets can explore veteran QB market for solution, perhaps Alex Smith Trade: This makes the most sense to me, and the player I'm watching is Alex Smith of the Kansas City Chiefs. With rookie Patrick Mahomes waiting in the wings, Smith could be a goner in 2018. Schematically, he'd be an ideal fit in John Morton's short-passing attack. Speaking of Morton, the Jets' offensive coordinator was on the San Francisco 49ers' staff for two of Smith's eight years on the team, so there's a connection. Smith will be 34 next season, meaning he should have a few good years left. Now come the two hard parts: compensation and finances. The Jets would have to surrender at least one of their second-round picks, and they'd want to sign Smith to a long-term extension because he'll be a free agent in 2019. These aren't insignificant hurdles. January 8, 2018 Should Jets pursue Alex Smith? No, too many strings attached. Alex Smith's season -- and probably his career in Kansas City -- ended on Saturday night with a devastating playoff loss. Even though he was one of the NFL's top passers this season, he likely will be traded because of too many empty Januarys and because his young understudy, Patrick Mahomes, is viewed as a budding star. The New York Jets, mulling several quarterback options as they attempt to fix a 40-year-old problem, could be one of his suitors. There are some things to like about Smith, who would be ideal in John Morton's short-passing scheme, but he'd be a bad fit for reasons beyond X's and O's. It would be a mistake if the Jets target him as their quarterback savior. Smith is a tweener, meaning he's better than your average Band-Aid but too old (34 next season) to be a long-term solution for a rebuilding franchise such as the Jets. Based on pure talent, yes, he'd be an upgrade, probably their best quarterback since Brett Favre in 2008 -- well, the pre-December Favre. But the Smith situation is complicated; it's not simply a talent thing. Three reasons why the Jets should not target Smith: 1. Potential compensation: In 2013, the Chiefs acquired Smith from the San Francisco 49ers for a second-round pick in the 2013 draft and a conditional 2014 pick that turned into a second-rounder. Since then, Smith (50-26 as a starter) has done nothing to diminish his value, so you can be sure the Chiefs will be looking for something similar in a trade. The Jets, it just so happens, own a pair of second-round picks in the upcoming draft but have so many needs that it would be a mistake to part with two premium picks for a 34-year-old player. If they're willing to deal picks, they should do it to move up for one of the top signal-callers in the draft -- a better long-term investment than trying to squeeze magic out of a recycled quarterback. 2. The contract: Smith isn't a free agent; he's signed for 2018 at $14.5 million in base pay. It would make no sense to surrender a high draft pick for a potential one-and-done player, so now you're talking about a contract extension in addition to the draft-pick compensation. If you're going to shell out a three- or four-year contract with at least $30 million in guarantees for Smith ... heck, you might as well go all-in for Kirk Cousins. He'd cost a lot more, but he's four years younger than Smith and is a pending free agent, meaning they'd be able to keep their draft picks. In his season-ending sit-down with reporters, acting owner Christopher Johnson made it clear he's not interested in quick fixes. As he said, "We'd never go all-in on something that would only last us a year or two." To me, that's Smith. 3. His upside: We've seen the best of Smith, who never will play as efficiently as he did this season. He posted a league-high 104.7 passer rating with 26 touchdown passes, only five interceptions and 4,042 yards. If the Chiefs hadn't collapsed in the second half of the season, he'd be in the MVP conversation. Clearly, Smith benefited from having three of the most explosive players in the league -- Kareem Hunt, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill. It's the perfect situation for a quarterback. The Jets are ... um, imperfect. Their skill-position talent isn't anywhere close to that of the Chiefs, and it'll take some time before it gets there. Lastly, it's hard to ignore Smith's career postseason record (2-5). Saturday night's loss to the Tennessee Titans in the wild-card round wasn't his fault -- he played well enough to win -- but he hasn't been a championship-caliber quarterback throughout his career. He could get the Jets to a wild card, but they should have bigger dreams than that. Smith is a good player. But not a good fit for the Jets.
I'd hate to waste a 2nd round pick on a qb who could complete 65% of his passes, average 8 yards an attempt, and throw for 4000 yards. Screw that. We ain't closed the books on McCown and Hackenberg yet!
I think he would be the best quarterback the Jets have had since Chad Pennington. In fact I would say better than Chad. He would lead a revamped Jets roster to the playoffs. The Jets could stash a young qb on the bench to learn from Alex. Win win situation.
All plausible but Alex has aspiration of playing for another 3-5 years, the length of a rookie contract. You sign Alex if you have a win now window, not if you want a bridge to a young QB. With Alex, that young QB would not be stashed but locked away.
Alex is under contract for another season, not a free agent. He's a professional and a class act who would play on the last year of his contract for whoever trades for him. He would be great with our younger quarterback(s). I just don't want to be stuck with another JAG veteran qb should Mac not be able to land one of the top qb's in the upcoming draft. If our qb depth chart in 2018 is McCown, Hack, and some 2nd day draft pick project qb then I am going to be disappointed to say the least.
Too old. If you're going to drop a 2nd rounder, do it trading up to get a top QB prospect. I want no part of Alex Smith, although it's funny seeing Cimini do a 180 on it. No more stop gaps, PLEASE!
Alex Smith should go to a team like Jacksonville or Denver. Thankfully I don’t see the Jets being a realistic option for him.
YEP. With JAX's defense, they just need a QB competent enough to make a few solid plays when needed to keep the running game open and to not fuck-up.
It really depends how the draft shakes out and who the Jets end up with. Mac needs to hedge his bets before the draft by addressing the quarterback position. If the Jets were to trade a pick for Alex Smith, they get a proven commodity at quarterback. They could then address other areas of need in free agency. By the time the draft rolls around the Jets would have Alex Smith on their roster, so should Mac get rejected trying to get a guy like Rosen he wouldn't be forced to overdraft another quarterback just to save face. With Alex Smith in one hand the Jets could draft BPA. Maybe that's Saquon Barkley or perhaps Arden Key. Whoever it is take them. The Jets need to draft playmakers. If they go that route in rd 1 maybe Mac finally gets lucky in round 2 or 3 and finds a qb to let learn from Smith. Who knows maybe Alex Smith would even help Christian Hackenberg....I know that's a long shot. Bottom line, the Jets must hedge their bets at qb before the draft. Either through free agency or by trade. To me Alex Smith is the best option, and he's available for trade this off-season - Smith has to come if the Jets trade for him. In free agency the "best" is Kirk Cousins, and he is going to want to become the highest paid quarterback to join the Jets. That's the only reason Kirk Cousins comes to the Jets over the Jaguars or Broncos.
Sign Alex Smith and draft a top QB prospect. Let them battle it out and the other one will be the backup.
Smith isn't a FA. The Jets would have to trade for him, and it would likely cost them at least one of their 2nd round picks. There's no way they should do that for a 34 yea-old one year rental!
Evan on WFAN is a big fan of Alex Smith. I don't see Smith as being 'stop gap' per se. He's a top 10 QB, and 34 next season... unless there are injuries, QBs play until they're 40ish. So he could do his Alex Smith thing for 6 years. Is 6 years a stopgap?!?
Smith would certainly be an upgrade, but at what cost? And not just now, but in the future? If they trade for him it's going to cost thempicks and cap space, and Macc would not likely draft a high potential QB - he might take one in a later (3rd 4th 5th) round - an what happens if Smith, not a spring chicken, gets hurt? Now they're back in the same spot with mediocre, unproven backup, and no resources for a few years to change the situation. Just like they've been forever it seems. Tempting to go for this "quick fix", but the smarter play is to stick with rebuilding around a high potential drafted QB.
Urgh Evan from Joe and Evan? 2 of the worst Jet fans in the world. Pass on Alex Smith. We need a QB that actually wants to throw the ball down the field.
NFL injury rate is 99.9%. Obviously, the older you are, the harder the recovery. That's what broke Romo, he couldn't take the rehab anymore. I would count on an injury unfortunately for Smith. I wouldn't cough up a 2nd for him especially when the Chiefs give Mahomes the keys, Smith will probably ask for a trade and then the asking price goes down.
