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The countdown to the Patrick Mahomes II era in Kansas City began the moment the Chiefs traded up to select the strong-armed quarterback in the first round of last year’s draft.

Officially http://www.newyorkjetsteamonline.com/trevon-wesco-jersey , it is down to about six weeks.

Practically, it has already reached zero.

The Chiefs agreed to trade veteran quarterback Alex Smith to the Washington Redskins late Monday, a deal that will become official with the start of the new league year on March 14. In doing so, the Chiefs made a bold statement that they’re ready for Mahomes, a prolific passer during his college days at Texas Tech, to assume the starting job for the foreseeable future.

Mahomes dazzled coach Andy Reid and his staff during training camp, making the kinds of downfield throws that Smith could never accomplish. And when he made his regular-season debut in Week 17, when the Chiefs were already assured of the AFC West title and the No. 4 seed in the playoffs, he not only played well but returned in the fourth quarter to lead the winning drive against the Broncos.

It was the kind of performance – and the kind of moxie – that made Reid draw comparisons to another of his prot锟絞锟絪 from his days with the Packers: Brett Favre.

Those are big shoes to fill. Then again, so are the ones Smith is leaving behind.

For all the angst he caused fans by going 1-4 in the playoffs, Smith succeeded in stabilizing a franchise that had been turning over quarterbacks for years. He went 50-26 as a starter and made a couple of Pro Bowl appearances, setting a slew of franchise records in the process.

”Alex, you are the definition of a true leader and your professionalism helped me grow as a player,” Chiefs offensive guard Laurence Duvernay-Tardif said in a statement posted to Twitter.

”Can’t say enough about the type of friend and teammate Alex Smith has been since getting to Kansas City,” Chiefs fullback Anthony Sherman said, adding ”the Sherman family will miss the Smith family.”

Yet the Chiefs knew they were going to move on from Smith in part because of the hefty price tag that came with the final year of his contract. And his strong performance last season made Smith a hot commodity with at least five teams along with the Redskins.

That bidding war, even this early in the offseason Alexander Mattison Jersey , drove up the Chiefs’ asking price.

They wound up solving more than one problem in the trade with Washington: The Chiefs, drained of draft picks by previous trades, got a third-round choice in April; they acquired Kendall Fuller, one of the league’s top slot cornerbacks and a potential starter on the outside opposite Marcus Peters; and they freed up nearly $16 million in salary cap space to make additional moves in free agency.

Kansas City now has a pick in the second round and two in the third, along with selections in the later rounds, which could be used to address other pressing issues on defense.

Fuller certainly addressed one of them. He was a first-round talent who dropped to the third round coming out of Virginia Tech because of injury concerns, yet has played to a first-round grade – and stayed healthy – during his first two seasons with in the league. Scot McCloughan, the former Redskins general manager who drafted him in 2016, said on Twitter shortly after news of the trade broke: ”I would never have traded Kendall. He can play inside and outside, he’s high character, young and a football player.”

He’s also a bargain. Fuller will count $647,500 against the salary cap in 2018 and $750,000 the next season, giving the Chiefs a starting-caliber cornerback at a discount rate.

The Chiefs are expected to free up additional cap space by restructuring or moving on from some of their veterans, such as linebackers Tamba Hali and Derrick Johnson. That in turn gives them some financial flexibility to sign some of their young stars to long-term deals – Peters and wide receiver Tyreek Hill, for example – or pursue help for their shortcomings in free agency.

They could still use help in the defensive backfield, linebacker and pass rush remains an issue http://www.minnesotavikingsteamonline.com/dru-samia-jersey , the offensive line needs additional depth and the wide receiver corps could use another target.

Now that the Chiefs have found a trade partner for Smith, the work in those areas begins.

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DAVIE, Fla. (AP) — The NFL’s active career rushing leader may still be a starter at age 35.Frank Gore is listed as sharing the No. 1 running back spot with incumbent Kenyan Drake on the first depth chart of training camp for the Miami Dolphins.Gore signed with his hometown team in March and was widely expected to fill the role of veteran backup. He’s awfully experienced for a feature back, with 13 seasons and 196 games of mileage.But that mileage translates into lots of yardage — 14,026 yards, to be exact, which ranks behind only Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders and Curtis Martin.And 10 practices into camp, Gore shows no sign he has lost a step.“I’m not surprised,” coach Adam Gase said Monday. “He’s just been proving everybody wrong for so many years. You just never doubt that guy.”Gase, Gore and Drake all described as no big deal the depth chart, especially one posted leading up to the first exhibition game. But Gore has enjoyed showing in practice he can still play.“I come out here and compete every day,” he said. “Not just with Drake, but with every guy at my position. I think we all push and help each other. With me, whatever my coaches want me to do this year, I’m going to do it.”Drake could yet prove difficult to dislodge from the No. 1 job. He ranked sixth in the NFL last year with an average of 4.8 yards per carry Daniel Jones Jersey , topping 100 yards in consecutive games after he became the starter in Week 13.“I don’t think anybody really cares about where they are on the depth chart before preseason even starts,” Drake said. “We’ve got to go out there and earn our spots.”Gore said Drake is worthy friendly competition.“Kenyan is a very talented guy,” Gore said. He’s smart; he can do everything on the field. I think that me and him can really help this team be successful this year.”That would be a change. The Dolphins went 6-10 last season, when they ranked 28th in both points and rushing.They expect to have a more potent offense this year with an upgraded line, the return of Ryan Tannehill and their new running back, who’s not new to the NFL at all.Gore has started every game since 2012. Last year he averaged a career-worst 3.7 yards per carry for the Indianapolis Colts, but they provided little room to run, and he did reach the 100-yard mark twice in the season’s final month.He was thrilled at the chance to return to South Florida, where he was born and raised and starred for the Miami Hurricanes. The homecoming makes even Thursday’s mostly meaningless game against Tampa Bay special to Gore, because he’s playing for Miami again.“Pop Warner, high school, college and now the NFL,” he said. “I want to do some great things for my city and for my team. I want to show guys that when they get up in age, if you love the game and you go out and work hard, it shouldn’t matter what age you are. That’s what my goal is this year.”If he starts, that’s a bonus.