The Washington Redskins pulled a blockbuster move by acquiring Alex Smith in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs, meaning they will be moving on from quarterback Kirk Cousins.
The Kansas City Star’s Terez Paylor first reported news of the trade and says the deal will not be made until the first day of the new league year, which is mid-March.
Smith was entering the final year of his deal and there were questions about his future given that Kansas City moved up to draft Patrick Mahomes in the first round last year. Paylor says the Chiefs will be saving $17 million with the trade. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport says the deal involves picks and a player.
The other big part of this trade is that Cousins will now become a free agent. Washington had franchise-tagged him two years in a row and seemed unlikely to keep him longterm. Now we know he will be going elsewhere.
The 49ers were viewed as a strong fit for him, but they acquired Jimmy Garoppolo mid-season, and he seems to be the answer for them. If they do not draft a quarterback early, the Cleveland Browns could be a fit for Cousins. Cousins has said that he won’t necessarily go to the highest bidder.
