CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns, as usual, didn't have a playoff game this weekend, but at least one thing might have gone their way when the Chiefs blew a 21-3 halftime lead to end another promising season with yet another disappointing playoff loss.
Even before the game, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweeted that the Chiefs could be open to trading their starting quarterback, Alex Smith.
"Kansas City won't actively seek out trade partners, but they will listen," Rapoport wrote on NFL.com. "There is a real chance Smith, who's set to make $17 million next season, will be dealt for the second time in his career."
The first time Smith was dealt ties directly to the Browns. That's because new General Manager John Dorsey had just landed in Kansas City as their GM and, as part of a flurry of moves, gave up the No. 34 pick that year and a conditional pick in 2014. That conditional pick ended up as the No. 56 overall pick that San Francisco traded to Denver.
It ended up being a winning move for Kansas City. Smith has started 76 games in his five years in Kansas City, the Chiefs have won double digit games in four of those five years and went 9-7 in the other, making the playoffs in four of those seasons and have now won consecutive AFC West titles.
Smith, for his part, has seen his completion percentage improve every season, peaking at 67.5 percent this season, has thrown 102 touchdown passes. He has thrown just 33 interceptions, with a high of eight in 2016.
In other words, he's a pretty good quarterback -- better than anything we've seen here in Cleveland since -- well, let's just say it has been a while. So why would Smith even be available?
The Chiefs are in a strange position. Despite all that regular season success, they have failed to advance in the playoffs, including their loss this past weekend to a team in the Titans who had release a statement backing their head coach -- after a playoff win. The combo of Smith and head coach Andy Reid has been unable to capitalize on bye weeks, on homefield advantage -- on everything teams usually parlay into playoff runs.
Meanwhile, they gave up last year's No. 27 overall pick and a third round pick plus their first-round selection this season to jump to No. 10 in the 2016 draft and select Smith's replacement, Patrick Mahomes from Texas Tech. Mahomes started Kansas City's season finale and threw for 284 yards in a meaningless win at Denver.
Smith turns 34 in May and Kansas City's cap situation isn't pretty. Their offensive coordinator just took a job as head coach of the Bears. If they could send Smith's salary elsewhere and hand the keys to Mahomes, it might open up at least a little flexibility. On top if that, if ever there were a roster that prime for an unproven rookie to drop in and play well, it's the one that operates at Arrowhead.
If Dorsey is able to pull a repeat of what he did when he first arrived in Kansas City, that would be an ideal situation for the Browns. I put together a list of free agent quarterbacks last week, and there are some options there, but none as enticing as Smith as a player. Unless the Browns are ready to hand the keys of their franchise to Kirk Cousins, they're looking for a placeholder more than anything.
Smith is good enough that there would be no rush to pull him off the field. He's old enough that no one would look at him as an answer at the position beyond the next season or two. He has been durable enough since leaving San Francisco that you could safely believe he could play an entire season -- though we know how that usually works out here.
As far as what it might take -- the Browns have three second-round picks to come up with something. Would some combination out of those three picks be able to beat out Jacksonville perhaps offering their first-round pick? You have to at least try. Those second-round picks shouldn't be treated as untouchable, especially in a draft where you're already adding two players in the Top 5.
It's all, admittedly, fantasy league style speculation at this point, of course. Maybe Kansas City rides it out with Smith or makes Mahomes beat him out for the job. Maybe they'd want to do right by him instead of simply taking in the biggest haul. Maybe they don't want to deal with Dorsey. Maybe head coach Hue Jackson would rather Dorsey ask about AJ McCarron again.
So it's more complicated than just making a phone call and throwing the picks on the table. Dorsey's been here before, though, and sometimes history repeating itself isn't such a bad thing.
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