Alex Smith thinks Chiefs committed to him only through this season
— -- KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- In his first public comments since the Chiefs traded up in the first round to select Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes II, Alex Smith acknowledged Wednesday that his time as Kansas City's starting quarterback might soon be finished.
The Chiefs view Mahomes as the eventual replacement for Smith, who has two seasons left on his contract.
"I think [the Chiefs are] committed to me [only] through this year,'' Smith said. "That's just the nature of it. If you don't go out there and perform, I mean, coach [Andy] Reid and [quarterbacks coach Matt Nagy] are very honest. You've got to go out there and do your deal. We all have to.
"Whether or not we drafted Patrick, it doesn't change that, right? If you're not good enough and didn't get it done, you're not going to be around long. That's just our culture. I know it. That's the nature of the position.''
The Chiefs?moved up to the 10th overall pick to select Mahomes, trading away the 27th pick, their first-round choice in 2018 and a third-rounder (91st overall) this year to the Buffalo Bills.
Smith went through a similar situation earlier in his career when he was with the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers drafted Colin Kaepernick in the second round in 2011. Midway through the following season, Kaepernick replaced Smith as San Francisco's starting quarterback, and Smith was traded to the Chiefs after the season.
"There is a little similarity,'' said Smith, who turned 33 earlier this month. "I'm an older quarterback, and they drafted a kid that's coming in young and they're looking to develop.''
There is, however, one major difference. Reid and the general manager who brought Smith to the Chiefs, John Dorsey, are still in place. The coach and general manager who drafted Smith with the 49ers were long gone by the time San Francisco brought in Kaepernick.
"This is a completely different coaching staff and a completely different team,'' Smith said. "I think I'm a much different player.
"In that sense it's very different. They did bring me here, and I've been here four years. I'm in my fifth year now. It was different there. Those were still new faces, so to speak, and I wasn't necessarily their guy or anything like that.''
Still, the addition of Mahomes represents the first legitimate threat to Smith's starting job in Kansas City. Reid and Dorsey have said Mahomes is some time away from being ready to play and that they are committed to Smith for the interim.
"I've been through it,'' Smith said. "I'm in a different place than the last time I kind of dealt with something like this, [but] I get it, right? If any of us were the GM, this in my opinion might be the most important position in all of sports. You'd be crazy not to be stockpiling talent.
"So I get it, going into Year 13. You understand it. At the same time, it doesn't change my focus, right? I still feel I've got a lot of years left in me. I still feel like I'm getting better, to be honest with you.''
