Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith has been traded to the Redskins for a third round pick in 2018 and a player to be named. The trade will not be officially complete until the new league year begins on March 14, but things are certainly set going into the new league year in 2018.
Now obviously this trade puts many things in perspective for 2018. Kirk Cousins will not return to the Redskins. After receiving the franchise tag by Washington for two straight seasons, Cousins will go elsewhere. There will be plenty of quarterbacks switching places in the offseason, as teams like Buffalo, Cleveland, Arizona, Denver, the New York Jets, Minnesota and others are going to be looking extensively at what is the right move for them.
For the Chiefs side of things, this opens up a lot of salary cap space, as Alex Smith looked to make $17 million in 2018. Also, with acquiring Fuller, the Chiefs get a rising star at cornerback to go along with Marcus Peters. Darrelle Revis likely won’t be back. In addition, guys like Philip Gaines, Steven Terrell and Kenneth Acker are all pending free agents. Fuller received praise from a former Redskins general manager and other Redskins players. Based off of what Twitter tonight, the Redskins fans seem certainly discouraged. Chiefs fans are certainly excited to get a brand new cornerback. Plus, they are ready to see what Fuller will add to the Chiefs defense. Another thing to remember, the Chiefs ranked 28th in total defense in 2017.
More news on this for the Redskins side of things, Washington signed Smith to a four year extension after 2018. The extension would make Smith the third highest paid quarterback in the league, behind only Matthew Stafford and Andrew Luck. The extension gives Smith $70 million in guaranteed money and $91 million total. This means Smith could play in a Redskins uniform through 2022. Smith is currently 33 years old, as he will turn 34 this upcoming May. This will most likely be Smith’s final change of scenery in his NFL career. Moving on to his third team in his career signals the end.
