Jets should not pursue Alex Smith in free agency

Heading into the offseason, the New York Jets will likely have many opportunities to land a much-needed quarterback, but the team should stay away from Alex Smith.

There’s no denying the fact that quarterback Alex Smith had one of his better seasons in 2017, as he ended the year as one of the league’s top passers. Although the Kansas City Chiefs suffered a disappointing 22-21 defeat at the hands of the Tennessee Titans earlier this month to push them out of the NFL Playoffs, the team had a strong season, and Smith played a big role in that.

He finished the season with 4,042 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. Despite his performance, however, the Chiefs will likely look to trade him due to a few different reasons, one being that Patrick Mahomes is being viewed as the team’s future signal caller.

In terms of pure talent, Smith would undoubtedly be an upgrade for the Jets at the quarterback position, but here are a few reasons why the Green and White should avoid him.

First and foremost, Smith will be 34-years-old by the time the 2018 season rolls around. His best days are likely behind him, and he would merely serve as another bridge quarterback for the Jets. At this point, the team needs to focus on acquiring a franchise QB with more upside for the future.

Also, trading for Smith would likely be quite costly. Sure, landing a player like Kirk Cousins in free agency would be costly as well, but acquiring Smith could possibly cost the Jets a large chunk of money in addition to one or more draft picks. Cousins, on the other hand, is younger than Smith with a brighter future and signing him wouldn’t cost the Jets crucial picks in the upcoming draft.

And finally, it’s not certain that Smith would fit in with the Jets’ offensive scheme, or with the surrounding talent he would have in New York. In Kansas City, Smith played perfectly into the team’s game plan and he was surrounded by top-tier talent. The Jets certainly have some young, bright offensive weapons, but they lack the type of firepower that the Chiefs have on that side of the ball.

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It was also recently announced that Gang Green fired offensive coordinator John Morton. Smith may have fit in well with Morton’s short-passing attack, but there’s no telling what the team’s offensive scheme will look like moving forward.

Ultimately, the Jets have been dealing with issues at the quarterback position for years. Acquiring Smith could serve as another short-term fixture, but it’s time that the team focuses on the long-term.

The team could undoubtedly find a future quarterback in free agency or in the 2018 NFL Draft, and that’s the type of player the Jets need at this time.

Smith just isn’t the guy.