Written by Adam Teicher at ESPN.com
In his first public comments since the Chiefs traded up in the first round to select Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes II, Alex Smith acknowledged Wednesday that his time as Kansas City’s starting quarterback might soon be finished.
The Chiefs view Mahomes as the eventual replacement for Smith, who has two seasons left on his contract.
“I think [the Chiefs are] committed to me [only] through this year,” Smith said. “That’s just the nature of it. If you don’t go out there and perform, I mean, coach [Andy] Reid and [quarterbacks coach Matt Nagy] are very honest. You’ve got to go out there and do your deal. We all have to.
“Whether or not we drafted Patrick, it doesn’t change that, right? If you’re not good enough and didn’t get it done, you’re not going to be around long. That’s just our culture. I know it. That’s the nature of the position.”
The Chiefs moved up to the 10th overall pick to select Mahomes, trading away the 27th pick, their first-round choice in 2018 and a third-rounder (91st overall) this year to the Buffalo Bills.
Smith went through a similar situation earlier in his career when he was with the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers drafted Colin Kaepernick in the second round in 2011. Midway through the following season, Kaepernick replaced Smith as San Francisco’s starting quarterback, and Smith was traded to the Chiefs after the season.
“There is a little similarity,” said Smith, who turned 33 earlier this month. “I’m an older quarterback, and they drafted a kid that’s coming in young and they’re looking to develop.’
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