Alex Smith is entering his 10th season in the NFL, so he knows far to well how an NFL contract is not always what it seems.
Smith is clamoring for a new deal from the Kansas City Chiefs but told USA Today’s Tom Pelissero on Saturday that he’s not interested in the type of pay-as-you-go contracts recently signed by Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick.
Dalton and Kaepernick’s deal allow their respective teams to walk away if the quarterbacks don’t show and prove. Smith is nearing the end of his career, and has no interest in such a deal.
When asked directly by Pelissero if he’d sign Dalton’s contract if the Chiefs offered it, Smith said:
“We’re on the record. That’s a tough question. Certainly, I think it’s a tough thing. I look at both Andy and Kap and they’re both on their rookie deals. They’re both second-round picks in the new rookie wage scale, so what were their salaries? It’s a very different situation for me.”
Smith said he would love to get a deal done before the start of the regular season.
“I would love that,” Smith said. “I certainly don’t want it to carry on into the regular season and be thinking about it. It’s hard to. It’s hard to be dealing with it and eliminate it always. It can become a distraction. Hopefully, it gets knocked out and I won’t have to worry about it.”