Alex Smith was prepared to pull the plug on contract talks if they ever became a distraction. It never got to that point.
After an intense and largely secretive day of negotiations, the Chiefs and Smith have worked out a four-year, $68 million extension.
Per a league source, Smith gets $30 million guaranteed at signing. Another $15 million in injury-only guarantee vests in March 2015.
Smith, who is still only 30 years old, was traded to the Chiefs last year for what ultimately became two second-round picks. He performed very well in his first season with Kansas City, leading the team to the playoffs and having one of the best days of his career, which has become overlooked via the second-half defensive collapse that blew a 38-10 lead in Indianapolis.
Smith was the first overall pick in the 2005 draft, and was regarded as a borderline bust until Jim Harbaugh arrived as head coach of the 49ers, the story points out. But a concussion gave Colin Kaepernick a chance to play, and he played well enough to send Smith to the bench — and ultimately to KC, the story continued. With the Chiefs, he doesn't have a ton of talent to work with. WR Dwayne Bowe dropped off last year as the team relied on RB Jamaal Charles - and that appears to be a similar situation this year. Smith has low-end QB2 value and is ranked 18th coming into the season.
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