In promoting Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs decide their future can't wait

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- On any of dozens of plays from training camp, the preseason and his one regular-season start as a rookie, quarterback Patrick Mahomes showed the uncommon ability that led the Kansas City Chiefs to trade up in the first round to draft him last year.

Mahomes as their new starting quarterback may or may not be good enough to take the Chiefs beyond the divisional round of the playoffs, a place they couldn’t reach in five seasons with Alex Smith. They couldn’t get as far as the AFC Championship Game in the previous 19 seasons with a variety of other quarterbacks either, for that matter. ut it’s time for the Chiefs to find out.
The Chiefs would be foolish to deny Mahomes’ progress, something they acknowledged in agreeing to trade Smith to the Washington Redskins. Mahomes has come a long way in 10 months with the Chiefs, going from a quarterback who had to learn to call a play in the huddle and take a snap from under center to one who could win an NFL game.Mahomes’ elevation was inevitable and always about him. When he showed he was ready, the Chiefs were going to move him into the starting lineup regardless of how Smith was playing.
Smith responded to Mahomes’ arrival with the best season of his career. He was the NFL’s top-rated passer (104.7) and set personal records for yards (4,042) and touchdowns (26). But that just fattened the return the Chiefs could get from Washington in a trade. It certainly didn’t change the dynamics of the quarterback situation in Kansas City.
Smith was a good regular-season quarterback, winning almost two-thirds of his starts for the Chiefs and leading them to the playoffs four times in five years. But he had taken them as far as he could in the playoffs.Smith was 1-4 in the postseason with the Chiefs, with two of the losses coming by one point and another by two. That’s the biggest reason the Chiefs traded up last year in the first round to draft Mahomes and agreed to send Smith to Washington on Tuesday.
Even before Smith’s arrival, the Chiefs were lousy in the playoffs. They’ve lost 11 of their last 12 postseason games.The quarterback deficit they frequently faced can help explain their playoff futility. They went up in those 11 losses against six quarterbacks who either are or someday will be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.The Chiefs wanted a quarterback like that of their own. It’s far too early to tell whether Mahomes will be one, but he’s got the tools and is off to a good start.That makes this a perfect time to install him as the starter. After yet another agonizing playoff defeat, the Chiefs’ future can’t wait one more year.News that the Kansas City Chiefs will trade Alex Smith to the Washington Redskins leaves the Cleveland Browns in another of what seems like a never-ending string of "now what?" situations at quarterback.
The safe assumption in this offseason was that the Browns would see Smith as a viable veteran alternative to hold the quarterback position while they groomed a young draft pick and DeShone Kizer. New general manager John Dorsey knew Smith well from their days in Kansas City, so the assumption was that he would be willing to Adam Clendening Jersey give up one of the Browns' second-round draft picks to bring Smith http://www.ramsshopsnfl.com/marshall-faulk-jersey_c-396.html to Cleveland. That part of the assumption was true, as the Browns did offer one of their second-round picks for Smith, according to a league source.
Instead, Smith goes to the Redskins for a third-round pick and cornerback Kendall Fuller, and the Redskins give Smith a four-year contract extension worth a reported $94 million. That's $23.5 million per year -- with $71 million guaranteed -- for a 33-year-old quarterback who went 1-4 in the playoffs with Kansas City.Which leads to the question: If Smith is worth $94 million, what in the heck will free-agent-to-be Kirk Cousins make?It sounds odd in general that a team with three second-round picks was outbid by a team offering a player and a third-round pick, and it brings back memories of Jimmy Garoppolo going to http://www.coloradoavalancheofficialonline.com/Adidas-Peter-Forsberg-Jersey San Francisco, not the Browns, before the last trade deadline.
Except for one thing, which Smith made clear Tuesday on the Dan Patrick Show: Given his druthers, Smith preferred to play for a team that could win sooner than later. Washington clinched it by offering $71 million in security via a four-year extension, something the Browns were not willing to do. The Browns have extra draft picks and cap space, but they also have one win the past two seasons. Washington won 24 games the past three and gets Smith for five more. Now Cousins will Dion Phaneuf Youth jersey be the most attractive free-agent quarterback, and he will hit the market at the optimal time to make the maximum money.
McCarron's free-agent status between restricted and unrestricted will be determined after a grievance hearing Feb. 15. If the Browns were interested enough in McCarron to complete a trade at the deadline, they might be interested in him now. If he is ruled an unrestricted free agent because the Bengals wrongly put him on the non-football injury list as a rookie, he will command an impressive contract. cheap nfl jerseys paypal wholesale jerseys usa nike nfl jerseys supply nfl jerseys nike