January 15, 2018

Alex Smith has had a really good career and is often overlooked. Ending this season with 26 touchdowns and five interceptions, he showed great leadership and ability to lead a team to the playoffs. Smith is not your QB that will throw the ball 50 times a game but often helped out by a run game. Rumors are swirling about him being replaced by rookie Patrick Mahomes. This is very likely, considering Smith is 33 and Mahomes 22. If he does happen to part ways with the Chiefs,  here are four teams that would be a great next step for this experienced QB:

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jags quarterback, Blake Bortles, is well-known. The problem is, he’s known for being near the bottom of the NFL rankings. . Blake is not a very good player and is very inconsistent. Bortles ends this season with 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He turns the ball over often and has been ineffective at leading his team. Smith could go into Jacksonville and turn their less-than-mediocre offense into a scary offensive attack. Smith would be surrounded by good targets in Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, Keelan Cole, and Marcedes Lewis. None of these players have over an 80 rating on Pro Football Focus (PFF), but all have shown flashes and aren’t playing to their potential simply due to a poor quarterback who can’t seem to get them the ball.

Denver Broncos

Denver is known for having a defense that’s potential is a “mile high.” (Yeah, I know that was a bad pun, but I had to.) It’s led by elite edge defender Von Miller and a top-tier secondary in Chris Harris Jr., Aqib Talib, and Bradley Roby.On offense, their targets just aren’t as good as they used to be (Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders), due in large part to the play at quarterback. The quarterbacks have been so bad that they had 19 touchdowns and 22 interceptions this season. The Broncos have simply not been able to move the ball through the air, and adding a veteran leader like Alex Smith can help lead this team to the top tier of teams again.

Arizona Cardinals

With former Heisman QB Carson Palmer announcing his retirement after 15 years in the league, the Cardinals are in desperate need of a quarterback.  The new QB most likely will not have Larry Fitzgerald next season, as he is also expected to retire, but he will have a good target with an elite running game in David Johnson. This offense has been very inconsistent but is always on the field (7^th in time of possession), which shows they have plenty of opportunities to score. If they could add a QB like Smith, they wouldn’t immediately be a top team, but would definitely be more of a threat before.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns, yes the Browns. At first glance, it sounds like a crazy longshot, but it does have potential. The Browns, being the second team to ever finish a season 0-16 are terrible, just absolutely awful. They have potential in David Njoku (tight end), Corey Coleman (wide receiver), and Myles Garrett (defensive end), yet they have no quarterback. Going into the season I liked DeShone Kizer, but after the season I realize I was terribly wrong. Kizer ended the season with a 53.6 completion percentage, 11 touchdowns, and 22 interceptions. He averaged more interceptions per game than touchdowns – which shows how desperately the Browns need a quarterback. The Browns general manager, John Dorsey, is a fan of Smith’s. When Dorsey was the GM of the Chiefs, he traded for Smith, who was on the Niners. I know Smith probably won’t sign with the Browns, but it is a possibility.

Payne’s Pick

I don’t see anything that would hold Smith back from going to Jacksonville. They are simply a quarterback away from being a super team. I believe Smith is going to sign a short-term deal worth a quite a bit of money to join the Jags.