When we last left Alex Smith, he said he wasn't sure if the Kansas City Chiefs and his reps were talking about a new contract. Now Clark Hunt confirms that, indeed, the two sides are talking about a new deal.

Hunt, who made the national media rounds during Super Bowl week, talked with Bob Fescoe and Josh Klingler on 610 Sports on Tuesday morning and there were questions about Alex Smith, who has one year left on his current contract.

"We're not going to discuss contract negotiations publicly," Hunt told the guys on 610 Sports.

But ... Hunt briefly discussed the negotiations anyway, even breaking some minor news.

"We have begun the dialogue with his representatives," he said. "Where it goes or whether it's something that gets done here in the offseason or during the season or perhaps even at the end of the season, I really don't know how that's going to play out."

This shows you that it's "when" Alex gets a new deal, no longer "if".

As far as I know, this is the first time anyone with the Chiefs have publicly confirmed that they are talking with Alex's camp about a new long-term deal. And, by the way, Hunt indicated that long-term, to him, means 3-5 years, which is about what we thought.

Hunt left the door wide open as to when this deal could get done. He mentioned this offseason, during next season or even at the end of next season. That's quite the range, which suggests that they're not very far into this negotiation process.

I'm as anxious as anyone to find out what those numbers will look like. We don't have any idea what kind of deal they're talking about. $12 million per year? $17 million? Bueller?

Alex Smith's stats, the trade, his Pro Bowl appearance, all the wins, playing his best in the playoffs ... he has a lot going for him, which all adds up to large numbers on a contract. Add in the fact that quarterbacks are just really expensive to begin with and there are reasons to believe this will get very pricey.

On the flip side, Alex Smith isn't Aaron Rodgers, out there winning games on his own. Everyone thinks paying Jay Cutler $100+ million is insane and many people will think it's crazy to do the same to Alex.

I guess what I'm saying here is that I don't know how this thing will go. I will predict, however, that this negotiation will not get contentious and it will not be filled with leaks. We shall wait.

H/T Chiefs Spin