There was major news in Washington D.C. on Tuesday night and it had nothing to do with President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.
The Washington Redskins reportedly have agreed to the framework of a deal to acquire quarterback Alex Smith from the Kansas City Chiefs, according to Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star.
The deal cannot become official until the new league year starts at 3 p.m. ET on March 14, but Paylor reported the deal is in place and is expected to go forward.
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Redskins will send a pick and a player to Kansas City in return for the 33-year-old signal caller.
The #Chiefs traded QB Alex Smith to the #Redskins for a 2018 third-round pick and a player to be named tomorrow, sources say. Solid return, regardless of who the player is.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 31, 2018
Rapoport also reported the Redskins have agreed to a four-year, $94 million extension with Smith.
Smith has a cap hit of $20.6 million for 2018, so the Chiefs saved around $17 million by trading him, according to Paylor.
This, of course, will send shockwaves through the league as Kirk Cousins, who had been franchise tagged by Washington before each of the previous two seasons, will become an unrestricted free agent with teams like the Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos in need of a starting quarterback.
Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs’ 2017 first-round pick, is expected to take over as Kansas City’s starting quarterback. The Texas Tech product impressed during his limited snaps during his rookie campaign.
Smith had a fantastic 2017, throwing for 4,042 yards and 26 touchdowns.
UPDATE (11:59 p.m. ET):Â The Chiefs will receive cornerback Kendall Fuller and a third-round pick from the Redskins in return for Smith, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Field Yates reported Tuesday night.
