Alex Smith will not be a San Francisco 49er next season.
The former starting quarterback was in the midst of playing the best football of his career when lost his job mid-season to a concussion. Before the injury, he had completed 25 of his last 27 passes.
It’s no secret that Smith is unhappy in San Francisco. Previous reports claim he has already asked the team for his release after the Super Bowl.
Now NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that team will try and trade Smith after Sunday instead of granting his outright release.
On Smith’s immediate future, Rapoport says:
“Alex Smith will not be a member of the 49ers next year. I can tell you that definitively.”
Trading Smith makes more sense than releasing him. He almost led the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2011 and was playing better football this year than last. After 10 games, Smith was fourth in the NFL in quarterback rating and was completing 70 percent of his passes.
Alex Smith’s trade value is high and the 49ers could get a decent return by putting him on the trade block.
There are a number of quarterback deficient teams entering the offseason. Some possible landing spots for Smith include the Buffalo Bills, Arizona Cardinals, and Philadelphia Eagles.
New Cleveland Brown’s offensive coordinator Norv Turner worked with Smith in his second year, making Cleveland a possible landing spot too.
Rapoport says that, if the 49ers cannot trade Smith, they will release him as soon as possible out of respect. The team believes the quarterback has his right to choose what team he ends up on after eight years of service.
Will Alex Smith be a starter in the NFL next season? What team will go to via trade or free agency?
[image via Glenn Walker / Shutterstock.com ]