Alex Smith: The Aftermath (Post SB)

If we sent Joe packing in a trade then why would we not trade Alex

Trade him to a team that wants to sign him. It will also assure him of his $8M salary, which he will most likely not get in the open market.

Originally posted by hipcam52:
If we sent Joe packing in a trade then why would we not trade Alex

Exactly.

I think the real question here is this. No matter if he gets cut or traded, for whatever the FO can get for him, I wonder what will happen to the Zone without anymore Alex Smith threads?

Its been so many years of my life, reading the insanity, seeing the bans, I guess Ill have to drink more. Thanks Alex, Thanks Jim. There goes whats rest of my liver.

Originally posted by Wubbie:
They're not misleading. You just have to think about what you're looking at instead of blindly throwing stats around.

Alex has high QB efficiency ratings, high completion percentage, and a low turnover ratio.. likewise, he also doesn't have the same amount of touchdowns as a lot of top-level guys, and he takes a lot of sacks. It means Alex is a methodical/conservative passer who is efficient, but probably not explosive. Alex is a coach's dream because he plays within the framework of the system and is an outstanding teammate.

(These past two years though have been interesting for Alex. For one, as another person mentioned, he tied the record for most quarterback comebacks in the regular season, and this year, he had a pretty high yards/attempt stat. When you consider yards/attempt and his efficiency rating, that says he was starting to develop a balance between high-percentage short passes, and low-percentage intermediate/deep passes. It makes me really wonder how Alex would've turned out if he was developed properly for several years in the same system. He'd probably be in the top 5 for completion percentage every season, and possibly broken the record.)

I think a lot of run-first teams with tough defenses (becoming a rarity in the league) would do extremely well with Alex. Alex could win with, obviously our team... the Ravens... the Patriots... the Broncos... the Vikings... the Seahawks... and a lot of other similarly built teams.
He's not the guy for a team that airs it out, like the Saints or the Colts, but with a good surrounding cast, he can definitely move the offense pretty consistently.

But going back to the original train of thought, about Alex's future, it'll be a good fit for him if he goes to Cleveland with Norv. They've got a young team, with a developing running game. I think he'd do well there.

Alex threw for a TD on 6% of his passes this year. That's way above league average and was in fact among league leaders. To put it into perspective - Joe Montana's career TD % was 5.1% and he only had 3 seasons over 6% with a reasonable number of attempts. His interception % this year is higher but is still among league leaders.

We also have the bonus of being among league leaders in drop %. When he stopped playing we were at around 7% of attempts.

Now obviously Alex isn't Montana, but let's criticize him for something legitimate. Last year he was at 3.8% which is closer to league average, but his interception % was off the charts great. They were playing a different kind of game as they installed the offense. Which it should be added got more explosive as the season went on.

It will be quite interesting to see what interest he garners in the off season.

1, The 49ers forced him out of his starting job.

2. By trading him to a team of their choice, he doesn't necessarily get the best chance to continue his career/earn a starter's level salary.

3. Since they don't want to start him, they should let him go somewhere where he can start...and he will be better able to choose that on his own.

The right thing to do would be to let him go...sometimes looking for every little advantage isn't the gain you think it is. The 49ers' behavior will be noticed by other players and potential free agents. In the long run, the 49ers gain more from treating Alex with dignity than they do from bargaining him off to the highest bidder.

Originally posted by Niners99:
If we cut him, and he goes to AZ, then our road to more division titles will be harder. Do what DEN did for Tebow. Gather offers, and pick the best few, and let him choose which team he wants to go to of those choices.

Exactly. As dominant as we've looked, let's remember that if not for the Vikings win in Week 17....who knows.

The line in the regular season is thin. Just look at NYG

Originally posted by frozen49er:
I think the real question here is this. No matter if he gets cut or traded, for whatever the FO can get for him, I wonder what will happen to the Zone without anymore Alex Smith threads?

Its been so many years of my life, reading the insanity, seeing the bans, I guess Ill have to drink more. Thanks Alex, Thanks Jim. There goes whats rest of my liver.

Seven years of Alex threads. Glad it'll be over.

The team should TRY to trade him. Why do I emphasis on TRY? Well, he will either be traded or cut, I am discounting the team will pay his bonus. Teams may be inclined to wait for him to be cut instead of sending compensation for him.

Also, let's be honest. The media is driving this "interest" in Alex. Remember, last year he was coming of a 13-3 record as a starter and he did not generate much interest, now he is a backup. So, how much will a team be willing to give up for him?

Originally posted by jreff22:

maybe by you...he got a lot of recognition last year and had many talking heads praising him up until he got hurt.

He got praise because he turned his career around. Also, among that praise was still a lot of doubt as well. We'll see how he does on his new team. I have no problem eating crow. I will guarantee you one thing. His rating will not be 100+

Originally posted by hipcam52:
If we sent Joe packing in a trade then why would we not trade Alex

I agree but remember that the Niners actually took Joe's wishes into consideration. The team just didn't ship him anywhere but to a AFC team he wanted to play on.

I'll going to guess that the Niners will likely do the same for Smith. That is try to get him on a team that he wants to play on.

If we can find a team in the AFC to trade with , and Alex approves of the trading destination , get SOMETHING for him

get a draft pick (4th) and move one ....Kap is obviously the QB of the future , and Alex needs a fresh start , hopefully something gets done quickly without any hostility

Wasn't Palmer traded out of retirement with tons of question marks for like 2 first rounders? I pray we can get better than a single 4th round pick.

Hopefully there will be at least two teams going after him and get the price up a bit. I would be happy with a 2 and a 3 or something like that. Will suck if we let him go for a player that doesn't make the practice squad.

Originally posted by bigmur49:
Wasn't Palmer traded out of retirement with tons of question marks for like 2 first rounders? I pray we can get better than a single 4th round pick.

Hopefully there will be at least two teams going after him and get the price up a bit. I would be happy with a 2 and a 3 or something like that. Will suck if we let him go for a player that doesn't make the practice squad.

Why are all the estimates for smith's value in trade so low? Smith could/will walk into a starting gig on over half the teams in the NFL. He has had a statistically very good 1.5 seasons. Why are we talking about one or two mid round draft choices? I would think that his value is quite abit greater -- at least one mid level first rounder. What am I missing? Thanks.

Originally posted by buck:
My guess is that Alex and Baalke have already had or are in the midst of having this discussion.

They can work on a deal that benefits both Alex Smith and the team.

Was about to post this but read far enough to see your comments! Thanks. Teams have worked with players in the past and this team should be able to reach a win-win situation. They might want to keep Smith out of the West, while Smith might have a preference with a team out of the West.

Question--if they cut him early how much of a cap hit do they take, if any?

Edit--Of course, according to Eddie...er...Jed, the niners want to keep Both QBs...Kaepernick and Smith.