Though he didn’t comment directly when I asked him about Tony Romo, Kansas City Chiefs GM John Dorsey left reporters in a conference call last week with the idea that Alex Smith and not Romo will be their starting quarterback next season. Andy Reid said it was a good bet that Alex would be their guy (as long as he doesn’t get attacked by a shark).
Despite all that, the chatter about Romo and the Chiefs continues. I do agree, as Peter King explains here, that the Texans and Chiefs make the most sense for Romo because they’re good teams without the clear-cut franchise quarterback of the present or the future. I don’t agree that it will actually happen, at least not in KC.
“In Kansas City, Andy Reid has seen the ceiling of Alex Smith, and it is nice,” Peter King of The MMQB said. “Nice, as in final eight of the NFL … not as is final two. Reid has never minded upsetting the apple cart for a potentially special player. Romo would be that. Smith is mature enough to take this, to understand the addition of Romo would be good for the team. Smith wouldn’t pout. He’d be a team guy. That’s why the Chiefs make sense too.”
The way I read that blurb, I think King is suggesting that Alex and Romo could co-exist on the same team ... I didn’t consider that scenario because of the money involved. Alex has a $16.9 million cap hit. Romo, if cut and signing a new deal, isn’t playing for the minimum.
This does highlight one issue with Romo: his backup. With Romo’s injury history, the Chiefs would need a veteran backup or a young guy they feel good about backing him up. That would be Alex Smith, which seems unlikely because of the money, or Tyler Bray, which seems unlikely because of his lack of experience.
Ultimately, whether it’s Alex or Romo, the Chiefs need to establish a future at that position in this draft. Draft someone early and I can get behind Alex or Romo for 2017.