Alex Smith To Seattle

The Seattle Seahawks are still looking for a new QB, and an interesting option may have just opened up. I must admit that I didn’t see this coming, and need to give credit to the Seahawks blog over at the TNT for pointing it out.

I just always assumed Alex Smith was returning to San Francisco, and why not. The Niners are coming off a 13-3 season, Smith wants to return, the 49ers want him back, why wouldn’t this happen, right? Even once free agency started, Smith wasn’t visiting other teams, and the 49ers had reportedly offered him a fairly hefty contract.

But then the strangest thing happened. Nothing. Here we are over a week later and Smith still remains unsigned. So what gives? It turns out that Smith is looking for a long term commitment from the 49ers, and that isn’t the contract that has been offered. The 49ers have apparently offered a 3 year contract, but it is apparently a 2 year contract with a tacked on 3rd year that there is no way that he actually gets to keep unless he turns into Tom Brady.

It turns out that the 49ers see Colin Kaepernick, and not Smith, as their QB of the future. They aren’t going to give Smith a long term contract when they believe that Kaepernick is going to be taking over soon. Complicating things further is the revelation that the 49ers were the “mystery team” that were vying for the services of Peyton Manning. Clearly they aren’t committed to Smith.

Enter the Seahawks, desperate for a QB, and wouldn’t be all that against screwing over their division rival if they are able to. Now we’re hearing rumors that the Seahawks are interested and have been talking to Smith’s people. Connecting the dot isn’t too tough here.

The thing is, I just don’t buy it. Smith isn’t a top QB. That’s why the 49ers aren’t willing to commit to him long term, so why would the Seahawks? While Smith is a small upgrade over Tarvaris Jackson, there’s no reason for the Seahawks to commit to him any more than the 49ers would want to.

Which is why I don’t think it will ever happen. Smith is looking for a long term deal. The Seahawks are looking for a 2 year stop-gap upgrade to give them a chance to draft and develop a long-term solution. So while it might be nice for the Seahawks to try and hurt the 49ers, this just isn’t a fit for either player or team.