Despite the fact that he’s considered a middle-tier type quarterback in the NFL, Alex Smith wants to get paid like an elite passer.
Thursday during an interview with the Kansas City Star, Smith reiterated that he’s willing to wait on a contract extension, and he feels he “right up there with the other top passers in the game.”
“Certainly when you’re talking about comparables and what the marketplace is for a quarterback, certainly you’re looking at that,” Smith told the paper. “And I feel like my body of work of the last three, four years is right up there with a lot of those guys. No question, when you’re trying to put a value on something like that, you look at a lot of stuff.”
Smith is scheduled to make $7.5 million this season — the final year of his current contract with the Chiefs. Matt Ryan, Jay Cutler, Tony Romo and Matthew Stafford all make between $17 and $18 million per season.