Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith was all over the place Tuesday.
He appeared on the Dan Patrick Show, the Rich Eisen Show, Pardon My Take and The Herd with Colin Cowherd, among other programs.
We asked #Chiefs QB Alex Smith if he's played his last game in Kansas City and if he's earned the right to have a say if and when that goes down: pic.twitter.com/sWp22hgS5j
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) January 30, 2018
And not only did Smith make appearances. He also answered hard questions with real answers. He joked that playing for a 1-31 Browns team sounded amazing and he told Rich Eisen he felt he had earned the right to be part of a trade process if it were to come to that.
There was no coiling from Smith. There were no safe answers, and that got me thinking a bit.
Why is a guy who rarely gives you anything of relevance during the season a wide open book on so many outlets today?
There could be a lot of reasons, really.
Maybe it’s by the advice of his agent, Tom Condon, one of the smartest in the game. Condon said Smith would “have opportunities whether it’s in Kansas City or someplace else” back in mid-August.
Maybe Smith is trying to gain good favor. He wants fans, general managers and teams out there to know that he is a good man, much more than a “game manager” and someone who intends to continue to play past next season.
Maybe, with comments like the one about the Browns, he’s trying to make it clear he won’t sign a long-term contract with a bad team. Smith does only have one year left on his contract, and what he does control is whether or not he plays for you past that.
Maybe it’s a little bit of those things, but no matter what it is, there is one thing you can be certain of.
Whatever message Smith is trying to convey, it is very much intentional.