The Kansas City Chiefs are enjoying the luxury of having a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback in Alex Smith, who has been red hot through his first five starts, and a promising QB prospect in Patrick Mahomes II. Albert Breer of MMBQ compares the situation in Kansas to the QB dilemma the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers dealt with when they had both Drew Brees and the up-and-coming signal caller Philip Rivers on their roster.
Smith vs. Mahomes
No matter what happens at the end of the season, the Chiefs will pin their Super Bowl hope on the 33-year-old Smith.
The veteran quarterback is having an MVP-type season so far, throwing for 1,391 yards on an unreal 71 percent completion rate with eight touchdowns and no interceptions.
The Chiefs, the only undefeated team in the NFL heading into week No.6, are scheduled to take on tough opponents in their next four games (Steelers, Raiders, Broncos, and Cowboys), but they are very confident about their chance of clinching the top spot in the AFC as long as Smith continues to play inspired football.
As for Mahomes, he hasn’t thrown a single pass in his NFL career, yet many scouts and coaches are raving about the kid’s potential. The Texas Tech product’s strong performance in training camp and the preseason convinced football pundits that he’s ready to start next season.
This development sets up an intriguing training camp battle between Smith and Mahomes next summer. Breer said he already saw this kind of situation before.
“Based on Smith’s play, and his affordable contract, this could well turn into a mid-2000s Chargers situation—where Brees held off Philip Rivers for two years before bolting for New Orleans. Either way, it’s worth monitoring,” Breeer wrote in his piece.
Make or break for Smith
ESPN Writer Adam Teicher also pointed out that Mahomes isn’t going to be Smith’s understudy for a long time because he was drafted for only one purpose, and that is to be the starting quarterback for the Chiefs sooner or later.
“They drafted one to secure a most important position for the long term.
They also believe Mahomes could be an upgrade over Smith, though so far this year that would be virtually impossible given the way Smith has played in the first two games,” Teicher stressed.
Smith is under contract through 2019 but he’s treating this year like a contract year. Right now that mindset is fueling the quarterback to put up historic numbers in the regular-season. However, the biggest test for him is still leading the Chiefs beyond the divisional round, something he has yet to accomplish in four years. Another early playoff exit could mean the end of Smith’s days in Kansas, and a trade to clear the way for Mahomes’ takeover could be inevitable.
