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Kansas City Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt did not want to see Alex Smith in a Denver Broncos uniform, per Mike Klis of 9NEWS.com.
“I think it’s pretty typical in the NFL not to seek trades within the division,’’ Hunt said during an appearance prior to the NFL’s Honors show Saturday evening. “That’s pretty standard fare particularly when we’re talking about a high-profile player.’’
In late January, Klis claimed that the Broncos would jump on a trade for Smith that would send Pro Bowl cornerback Aqib Talib and a second-rounder to the Chiefs.
To be clear, 760AM radio's Tyler Polumbus and I were spitballing trade scenarios. He threw out Talib&5th-rd for Smith. I said Talib&2nd and Broncos would jump. Division rival. Cost goes up. Highly doubt Chiefs would take. Chatter, man, chatter. #9sports https://t.co/1e60jYbK9W
— Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) January 29, 2018
The Chiefs opted to send Smith to the Washington Redskins instead, acquiring a third-round pick and standout cornerback Kendall Fuller.
Hunt’s stern words make me think the Broncos deal was never a possibility. Though it wasn’t by result of trade, this was a lesson Hunt lived through in the late 1990s.
Longtime Chiefs fans also remember it well.
The Chiefs chose quarterback Elvis Grbac over Rich Gannon in 1999, and Gannon went on to sign with the Oakland Raiders, with whom he became a two-time All-Pro (2000, 2002) and the NFL’s MVP in 2002. He also led the Raiders to a 2002-03 AFC Championship.
Hunt was not about to watch the Broncos make a championship run for the second time in four years with a quarterback he could have kept.
I don’t blame him.