NY Times: Reid tried to trade for Alex Smith “Multiple Times”

Aug 9, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid talks to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith (11) after a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Andy Reid really wanted to coach Alex Smith.

According to the New York Times and Peter King, Reid tried to trade for Alex Smith “multiple times” while he was the head coach in Philadelphia.

First, here is what the Times said about Reid wanting Smith:

"Reid was always impressed with Smith’s intelligence and enjoyed watching how Smith improved whenever he watched him on film. Reid acknowledged that when he was with Philadelphia, he called the 49ers multiple times to inquire about trading for Smith."

Citing the Times story, King asked Reid about him trying to acquire Smith while at Philly:

"[Reid] admitted he’d twice tried to trade for Alex Smith while in Philadelphia. He didn’t say when, and he told me that while it was true, he didn’t remember exactly when it was. Once was around the time the team was in the process of fact-finding on Michael Vick before the Eagles signed him. “I just always watched him and thought, ‘Man, I’d like to coach that kid,’ ” Reid said."

There has been an intense (purposeful?) push by the Chiefs organization to get behind Alex Smith. Doug Pederson referred to Smith as the best quarterback in football, and John Dorsey said Smith has been “better than advertised.”

Now, on one hand, what are they supposed to say? Smith stinks? Of course they are going to back the guy they gave up two high draft picks for. You’re already all-in with Smith so you might as well continue to sing his praises.

On the other hand, it has been a while since we’ve seen this kind of universal love for a quarterback from the Chiefs. Matt Cassel was never Todd Haley’s guy, and he had no problems letting people know it while he was trying to avoid his bugged office. Cassel was Scott Pioli’s guy to such a degree that Pioli hired potentially the one coach in football who was okay with him being his starting quarterback after he fired Haley: Romeo Crennel.

So the universal support for Smith is odd in the sense we are not used to it.

But the Chiefs top officials seem to making an effort to show they have full confidence in Alex Smith in way beyond just saying “we have confidence in Alex Smith.”

If they really wanted to show how much confidence they have in Smith then they would sign him to a contract extension. Smith has just two years left on his deal, and most quarterbacks who have the full backing of their franchise do not go into that final season without some kind of an extension or a nod towards wanting to work out a deal.

They still have time to make the deal happen, of course. But until they do agree to an extension, the doubts about Smith and his future in KC will still be there.