How Long Should an Extension/New Contract for Alex Smith Be?

Originally posted by fryet:

If Alex continues to play decent, I think he has earned a 3 year contract. I think he will earn a 4+ if he wins a playoff game.

If by playoff game you mean Superbowl, I agree.

Originally posted by taney71:
I think you underestimate the year Smith is having. I think he gets at least a 3 year contract now and probably a 5 year one after this Giants game. Smith's agent would be stupid not to get him a 5 year contract with a 15 to 20 million guart. number.

Leaguewide skepticism lowers his market value. I'd think a 4 year contract is likely... around 40 million

Originally posted by okdkid:
Zero incentive for Smith to take a short contract. Teams will be throwing big money and years at him.

Yep. He may take somewhat of a hometown discount but it would be an insult to offer less than 5 years. Any talk of less than five years is rather uninformed.

As I watched QBs today that are getting paid a lot more money than Smith having trouble making some pretty basic throws, it was very clear he is definitely playing on a par with all but Rodgers, Brady and Brees.

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by okdkid:
Zero incentive for Smith to take a short contract. Teams will be throwing big money and years at him.

Yep. He may take somewhat of a hometown discount but it would be an insult to offer less than 5 years. Any talk of less than five years is rather uninformed.

As I watched QBs today that are getting paid a lot more money than Smith having trouble making some pretty basic throws, it was very clear he is definitely playing on a par with all but Rodgers, Brady and Brees.

To flip the equation around, the management of the 49ers really will have to make a decision whether or not they want to re-commit to this guy for the long-term (4-5 years). If the 49ers can't do that, they should let him go and continue to groom CK. There is still a lot of football to be played, but right now Smith is easily worth the commitment. As always, question will be price.

I went w/3 yrs.

Alex has improved dramatically since JH took over. In fact, I think he has improved every week. If this keeps up how good will he be by the end of the season?

My logic, by the end of the season if he improves to an 8+ on a 10 scale how good can he get after another full season w/training camps etc.

Alex could emerge as a top 3 QB in the NFL if the improvements keep happening.

Originally posted by Sinsation:
why would he want to go to a new team? I mean he's got to be loving JH and GR. why would he up and leave to play for ANOTHER HC and OC?
i say 3 years is fair.

This. If we make the playoffs, he continues to have success, and make some strides in improvement, then it's win-win for everyone.

Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman have an intelligent QB that makes great decisions. They love his leadership and attention to detail. The 49ers as a team love him. He's ALWAYS had the support of the locker room, and they love that his toughness and resiliency to just keep coming back. 49er fans are showing him some love too. The NFL media has a great story in Alex Smith that they can talk about for years to come.

I think a 3, 4 year contract is fair with an above-average pay, with incentives. With the way things are going, everyone wants Alex to come back. He's a system QB, and is relatively young at age 27. Alex knows this is the best place for him to be. He'll stay here for awhile.

If he keeps playing like he played yesterday, 10y/300mil!

Give Smith Nobama money 1 trillion dollars with zero expectations then we all will be happy.

Originally posted by bzborow1:
To flip the equation around, the management of the 49ers really will have to make a decision whether or not they want to re-commit to this guy for the long-term (4-5 years). If the 49ers can't do that, they should let him go and continue to groom CK. There is still a lot of football to be played, but right now Smith is easily worth the commitment. As always, question will be price.

The thing is, there's nothing wrong with re-signing him because we still have Colin Kaepernick if next year, *knock on wood*, Alex Smith can't replicate the success he's having. Assuming he finishes strong, it's a no-brainer for Alex to come back. The 49ers are the best team for him and he knows that. He's not going to want his 8th offensive coordinator in 8 seasons if he goes anywhere else. He's not going to have great demands. He made a ton of money from his rookie contract, and isn't the type to be greedy anyway. Remember when he was drafted that he told his agent that he didn't want a holdout? I don't think the question is price, because if Alex wants to be here.. price isn't the concern. The question is about how much Harbaugh believes in Kaepernick after having a season to develop and learn the offense. That assessment as season's end will be a key factor, but I still think it's a no-brainer.

Sign Alex to a 3 year contract. Have him compete with Kaepernick during training camp. Alex SHOULD win that one... but from there, we'll see.

Originally posted by nickbradley:
Fitzpatrick got a 6-year, $59m contract with $24m guaranteed.

Smith should expect something similar

That is right in the neighborhood of the numbers he will be offered if his play continues to be strong. A minimum five years will be offered by another squad, so the team is not going to retain him for a 1, 2, 3, or probably 4 years contract. There are still too many QB-starved teams in the league, and not enough top-level entry QB's coming out of college and free agents to meet the demand. These teams need help, badly:
1) Indianapolis
2) Miami
3) Seattle
4) Denver
5) KC (Denver and KC combined for a total of 162 passing yards on Sunday)
6) Washington

3 yrs

5-year, $50M is a fair offer. He likes it hear in the bay area, I really doubt he thinks about starting over with another team. Plus, him and Harbaugh are real tight.

Originally posted by smithgdwg:
Super Bowl Win: Give him a blank contract and let him fill it out.

Originally posted by bzborow1:

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by okdkid:
Zero incentive for Smith to take a short contract. Teams will be throwing big money and years at him.

Yep. He may take somewhat of a hometown discount but it would be an insult to offer less than 5 years. Any talk of less than five years is rather uninformed.

As I watched QBs today that are getting paid a lot more money than Smith having trouble making some pretty basic throws, it was very clear he is definitely playing on a par with all but Rodgers, Brady and Brees.

To flip the equation around, the management of the 49ers really will have to make a decision whether or not they want to re-commit to this guy for the long-term (4-5 years). If the 49ers can't do that, they should let him go and continue to groom CK. There is still a lot of football to be played, but right now Smith is easily worth the commitment. As always, question will be price.

The 49ers have already made the toughest decision in keeping Smith this year, so they should have no problem extending him. I think they are loving him to death right now.

I agree with DJ that Alex Smith is playing at a very high level.

We need to lock him up long term.

Originally posted by MadDog49er:

Originally posted by nickbradley:
Fitzpatrick got a 6-year, $59m contract with $24m guaranteed.

Smith should expect something similar

That is right in the neighborhood of the numbers he will be offered if his play continues to be strong. A minimum five years will be offered by another squad. There are still too many QB-starved teams in the league, and not enough top-level entry QB's coming out of college and free agents to meet the demand. These teams need help, badly:
1) Indianapolis
2) Miami
3) Seattle
4) Denver
5) KC (Denver and KC combined for a total of 162 passing yards on Sunday)
6) Washington

Unless you think Peyton Manning's career is over I would hardly say that Indy needs help "badly". They may in fact select Andrew Luck since he is the best player but Indy should not be lumped in with these other teams.

Teams that HAVE to get a QB:
1) Miami
2) Seattle
3) Washington
4) Denver

Teams that could really use an upgrade
1) Cleveland
2) KC