Alex Smith Contract: Why it’s not a better option than signing Kirk Cousins
The Alex Smith trade has shaken up the Washington Redskins. Here’s a look at how his contract extension will impact the team.
Initially following the Alex Smith trade, there was reason for optimism for Redskins fans. The team had decided to move on from Kirk Cousins, and they were able to find a quality replacement who shouldn’t be a major downgrade. Furthermore, because he was on a one-year deal, they would have options on what to do in regards to adding young quarterback talent.
However, the Redskins elected to ink Smith to a four-year extension as part of the trade to acquire him. Signing him to an extension wasn’t a bad idea, but a four year one is a risk. Smith is going to turn 34 in May, so the deal will carry him through his age 38 season. Given that Smith’s biggest weakness is his arm strength, it’s easy to imagine him regressing at some point during that time and becoming a quarterback who only throws checkdowns with success.
Also, it’s worth noting the massive nature of the extension. The deal is set to pay Smith $94 million over the four-year period with a whopping $71 million in guarantees. Now, these are just reports for now, and it’s possible that there could be an out in the contract that nullifies the contract after a certain point. As Ian Rapoport said on Twitter, the $71 million in guarantees is the equivalent of “basically three seasons.” But on paper, this still doesn’t seem like a great move.
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The extension that Smith inked will make him the sixth highest paid quarterback, in terms of average annual value, across the NFL. It’s possible that pending the results of the Jimmy Garoppolo situation, he could rank No. 7, but the point is that Smith is being paid at a very high rate. Furthermore, the guaranteed money would be far and away the top number at the position, smashing the $60.5 million Matt Stafford got just a few months ago.
Smith is not a bad quarterback, but that type of investment is one that is usually made in a quarterback that has the potential to be elite. That ship has sailed for Smith. He can still be a high quality starting quarterback, but he will never be anything more than above average.
Also, while Smith has posted a 50-26 record during his five years in Kansas City, he has never been a quality playoff passer. In seven games, he has a 2-5 record, and it’s worth noting that Colin Kaepernick replaced him during the 49ers lone Super Bowl run of the decade. So, what this boils down to is that Smith is an elite regular season quarterback, but he won’t be able to do enough to lead a team to a championship unless everything around him goes right.