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A Kansas City beat writer reports the Chiefs will trade quarterback Alex Smith to Washington.
Sources tell The Star that the Chiefs have reached an agreement to trade Alex Smith to Washington. The story: https://t.co/vlNuGMAlVS
— Terez A. Paylor (@TerezPaylor) January 31, 2018
This impacts a pair of quarterbacks potentially linked with the Jets in the offseason. It takes Smith off the table. Rumors have been swirling about the Chiefs moving on from Alex Smith with 2017 first rounder Pat Mahomes waiting in the wings.
Smith always seemed like a fallback option, though. More significantly, this trade means Kirk Cousins will assuredly hit free agency. The trade for Smith means Washington is moving on without Cousins. They will not reach a deal with him before free agency. They also will not use the franchise or transition tags as some speculated.
The Jets have a glaring need at quarterback, a lot of money to spend in free agency, and a Draft pick too low to guarantee them the prospect of their choice in the Draft. There was already a lot of speculation about the Jets and Cousins, and that is only going to grow in the weeks ahead.