Alex Smith has had a wild journey through the National Football League (NFL), as the former Pro Bowler is currently with his second team that is laying the ground work to replace him.

Smith was selected with the first overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers, who he played for for seven years. After suffering a concussion in a game against the St. Louis Rams during the 2012 season, and was replaced by mobile quarterback Colin Kaepernick who would take the Chiefs to a losing effort in the SuperBowl. Smith was then traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he would serve as the team's starter.

The longtime veteran has entered into his fifth consecutive NFL season with the Chiefs, in which he starched the defending SuperBowl Champion New England Patriots with 368 passing yards and four touchdowns en-route to a 42–27 win.

This past draft, however, the Chiefs drafted rookie quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the first round, essentially laying out the groundwork to replace Smith in the near future. He recently did an interview on In Depth with Graham Bensinger, and admitted that there is a high possibility that he doesn't play for the Chiefs in the 2018 season (quotes via NFL.com):

"Yeah, you know, for sure it absolutely does, without a doubt," Smith said when asked if he felt like 2017 was his last season in K.C. "And I only say that because, that was exactly my mindset when I got traded here was no different.

"Like this could be my only year here right? I just think you become a veteran. Structurally the contracts -- the guarantees are less and that's just the reality, right. Like you got to prove yourself year in and year out and if you can't get the job done, every team's gonna go try to find somebody else they can, right?

"I mean that's the reality of the deal.

"I mean, I don't care who you are. I mean that's the thing, right? You cease to be this developmental project -- a rookie guy that's on a rookie contract that maybe has years to grow.

"You're a veteran. You're expected to perform and play at a certain level. And if you don't, the team isn't going to just keep going [on same path].

"They're gonna try and find somebody else that can. And so, no different this year than every year. That's just been the way it is. I don't think that's a bad thing either."

What are your thoughts on Smith admitting that he doesn't expect to be a Kansas City Chief next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!

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