Report: Browns Attempted Alex Smith Trade Before Move to Redskins

The Cleveland Browns reportedly tried to trade for Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, before the Chiefs reportedly agreed to deal Smith to Washington on Tuesday night.

Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star first reported Smith will be dealt to Washington, with Ian Rapoport of NFL Network noting Kansas City will receive a 2018 third-round pick and a player to be named Wednesday.

ESPN's Field Yates added that the player to be named is cornerback Kendall Fuller, and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported Washington will sign Smith to a four-year, $94 million extension.

Smith's trade to Washington won't be official until the new league year begins March 14.

As for Cleveland's interest in Smith, the quarterback didn't seem particularly open to joining the Browns.

"I haven't even thought about that," Smith said earlier Tuesday when asked on The Dan Patrick Show about the possibility of being traded to the Browns (h/t Cabot). "They've got nowhere to go but up. One and 31 over the last two years just sounds amazing."

He added he would want to join a contender.

"You would love to go [to] a place that ... you want to go somewhere you have a chance to have success," he said. "I feel that [way]. Wouldn't you?"

Given the contract extension the 33-year-old Smith reportedly will sign with Washington, however, it's hard to see how he would have fit in Cleveland. The Browns have the Nos. 1 and 4 picks and the opportunity to select a young quarterback to build around. They also have ample cap space and future draft picks to aid their rebuilding efforts.

They would have sacrificed a little of each in any deal for Smith, all while still being unlikely to field a playoff team in 2018 and perhaps for several years. Smith might be a surer bet than any rookie quarterback, but by the time the Browns add to their talent pool and those young players start hitting their primes, Smith would be nearing the end of his career.

The timing, in other words, didn't make much sense for the Browns. It likely won't make sense for the franchise in regards to pending free agent Kirk Cousins, either, who has stressed his desire to play for a winner.

"Is money a part of it? Sure. Is it the only thing? No," Cousins said on PFT Live, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "It is about winning, and that's what I want more than anything, so I'm going to be willing to make sacrifices or do what has to be done to make sure I'm in the best possible position to win, and that's what the focus is going to be."

The Browns will continue to be a tough sell for any established veteran at quarterback, so their best bet to address the position remains the draft.

from Bleacher Report - Front Page http://ift.tt/2nniHQy