Alex Smith to KC

The last time the Chiefs won a playoff game was 1993.
The last time the Chiefs won any game with a QB they've drafted was 1987.

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The Chiefs need a quarterback.
They have the #1 pick and the #34 pick in the 2013 draft, among others.

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Alex Smith is now the 49ers backup quarterback.
In his first six years with San Francisco he put up terrible stats and got benched and took a paycut to stay with the team.
In his seventh season, Smith performed well under Harbaugh. After that season, Smith was a free agent. The 49ers tried to get Peyton Manning. After Manning went to Denver, Smith signed a three-year deal.
In his eighth season, Smith was performing well but still benched. He has two years, 16M remaining on a contract to be a backup. The 49ers want to trade or release him.

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The Chiefs have apparently agreed to a trade with San Francisco.
Chiefs get: Alex Smith with two years and $16 million remaining on his contract
Chiefs give up: 2013 second round pick (No. 34), 2014 conditional third round pick

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Matt Cassel just got run out of town.
Matt Cassel has better stats than Alex Smith.

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This is the first move by new GM Dorsey and Coach Reid.
Trading a 2nd round pick for Matt Cassel was GM Pioli's first move.

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What does this all mean?

At the very least, it's clear that the Chiefs gave up way, way too much for Smith. If this was a 4th round pick, I think most fans would be fine with it. We could still draft a QB with in the 1st or 2nd round and possibly have more than one competent quarterback in the next few years. It's a good problem to have.

If the 49ers couldn't make a trade, they might have released him or asked him to restructure again. They were not excited about paying that much to a backup. The Chiefs might not have gotten him if they said their best offer was a 4th round pick. But would that have been so bad?

By trading those picks away, it seems that the Chiefs think Smith is the guy. And that means they probably won't draft Geno #1.

This deal comes down to how will Alex Smith perform with the Chiefs. If he has Pro Bowl years and leads the Chiefs to a playoff win, the deal is worth it. If he doesn't, it's a bad deal.

Reid and Dorsey might think that Alex Smith is the best option for the 2013 season. That the Chiefs could win more games with him than with Geno Smith or Foles or Barkley or whoever. And they might be right. But our goal cannot be to win 8 games this year. Our goal needs to be to build a consistent playoff-winning team, even if it takes 3, 4, 5 years.

Reid and Dorsey must think that they're getting the Alex Smith from the past two years. But Pioli thought he was getting 2008 Cassel.

If it were me I'd probably draft Geno and try and trade for Foles or Alex Smith with a lower pick.

We haven't had any success with a QB that we've drafted in over 30 years. Todd Blackledge winning two games in 87 doesn't count. Even if it didn't work it, we fans wanted to give it a shot. But for me it's not about that streak.

It's about the playoff wins streak. Win a damn game. Can Alex Smith do that in red and gold? We'll see.