One of the top stories of this offseason has been the contract negotiations between Alex Smith and the Chiefs. There has been no shortage of speculation on the issue. The pundits have been up and down the issue, even to the point where Smith's wife had to get involved. But tonight, Alex Smith brought the conversation to us and shed some very interesting light on the subject.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/07/17/alex-smith-hoping-to-find-the-right-answer-for-extension/

There is quite a bit to take away from this interview. Smith really didn't mask anything. We know what he wants now and it's going to be the source of many arguments and discussions to come.

The Good: Alex and the Chiefs are talking long-term contract.

Hey, whether you think that Smith is the best option or not, he's a good deal better than the mess we've had since we lost Trent Green. And what the Front Office sees in him is stability. That's important and both Reid and Dorsey know it. They both come from organizations that saw a lot of success, and that success largely stemmed from stable QB situations. Stop and think about this...when is the last time the Chiefs had a stable QB situation for more than 4 years at a time? You could possibly argue Trent Green, but he had a shaky 2001 and was injured in 2006. So that leaves '02 - '05 as his time frame. Joe Montana was only on the team for 2 years. Even Steve DeBerg was only on the roster for 4 years. You have to go all the way back to Len Dawson to find an extended amount of time where we had stability at QB for the Chiefs franchise. Folks...that's not good.

The Bad: Alex wants Cutler money.

"But his wife said..." Well, either she's wrong, she's a liar, or people took her comment to mean what they wanted it to mean rather than what it actually meant. There was more to that conversation than the money talk.

Alex lays it out for us. He thinks his performance is comparable to that of Cutler, Romo, and Stafford...and he's probably got a point if you're looking at the last three years. So, naturally, he wants to be paid on par with them. And there is nothing "team friendly" about $18 mil per year. On top of that, he's got one of the best negotiators in the world on his side. Tom Condon gets guys their money...even if they didn't want it. This puts the Chiefs in a very difficult spot, cap wise, moving forward. You can only have so many big contracts on your cap, and the Chiefs have a lot of players who are deserving of making big money...and they all seem to be coming up on the ends of their contracts in the next couple of years.

The Ugly: It all just went public.

Folks, there is nothing spontaneous or happenstance about this interview. It was set up from the beginning, and it was done with the intent of putting pressure on the Chiefs FO. I said earlier that Tom Condon is one of the best negotiators in the world...and this is a very effective tactic. This was set up to make the Chiefs respond. Smith (at the behest of Condon) has put his cards on the table and now we wait to see if the Chiefs can beat his "Trip-Jacks". This is also a sign that negotiations are not close to being resolved. Smith is talking about having a whole year to wait...but he's previously mentioned that he does not do contracts during the season. This is a total power play move.

The Sequel: Nothing gets done until the team knows how it will move forward with Smith.

I know a lot of you are thinking: "Why not just go ahead and sign Houston first?" Well, it sounds easy...but that's because it's not our job to do it. I talked earlier about the importance of stability at the QB position and how Reid and Dorsey know that. QBs are hard to replace...especially when you don't have a viable option ready to go. Bray and Murray are both still complete unknowns. While the Chiefs may have high hopes for them, you don't base a strategy on hopes. And though Chase Daniel has a strong fan base around here, I don't think there are many (since there is bound to be one or two) that believe he can be "The Man" going forward. That means the Chiefs currently don't have any options to replace Smith. But at OLB, we still have Tamba Hali, Frank Zombo, and now Dee Ford. The Chiefs have options. Maybe not ideal, or even good, options, but they are options that provide more known factors and room for error than the QB position.

Another reason Smith has to be done first is the salary cap itself. It is much easier to make the smaller of the two contracts fit in restricted space. It would be a huge mistake to sign Houston to a deal that doesn't leave enough room to re-sign Smith's pending mega-deal. That would handcuff the Chiefs moving forward. Unless something happened to where Bray or Murray (or Daniel) suddenly showed they were ready to take the reigns, the Chiefs would be in a situation where they HAD to use the Franchise Tag on Smith and also draft a QB (which could mean spending picks to move up). This is also an explanation as to why contract talks with Houston have not progressed...hence his frustration with the organization.

The Chiefs are in a tough situation, and they have to make a very tough decision soon. Do you lock up the guy who provides you with the known assets? Or do you risk it all by using the Franchise Tag to keep him short-term and bet the farm on a rookie? It's a tough position to be in.

Brett Hundely 2015!!!