The quarterback position is easily the most discussed position amongst fans and members of the Arizona media. People want to know what head coach Bruce Arians and general manager Steve Keim are going to do with the position before the start of the 2013 season.

And frankly, little has been said up to this point. They said that they will search high and low to find a quarterback, yet that statement leaves too much room for interpretation. Many expect the duo to target a quarterback in the draft or in free agency, while others expect them to roll with the $62 million man.

With free agency just seven days away, we may found out what the team's plans are sooner rather than later. For now, let's rank the seven best options Arizona has based on the open market, the draft and their current roster talent.

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After the season David Akers had in 2012, the news of his potential release (via Adam Caplan of The Sideline View) should come as a surprise to no one. Akers was an atrocious 33-47 on field goals during 16 regular-season contests and three postseason games. By comparison, his 70.2 percent success rate was the second-worst percentage in the league behind Mason Crosby of the Green Bay Packers.

Not to mention Akers was the second highest paid kicker in the league, according to Spotrac. He carried a base salary of $3 million in 2012 and 2013, which obviously aided into the 49ers' reasoning behind cutting the 14-year veteran.

If Akers would have been able to put together a 2012 campaign that resembled his 2011 campaign, we may not be discussing his potential release. Unfortunately, offseason hernia surgery and a lack of confidence throughout the season seemingly factored into him playing his way out of San Francisco's future plans.

No official date for Akers' release has been set, but given the fact that free agency begins in eight days, one has to think they will want to get his contract off the books before then. His salary was not guaranteed for the 2013 season, so the only thing the 49ers owe him is a prorated bonus of $566,668. The $3 million in savings, coupled with the Alex Smith trade, has the 49ers cap number ($113,142,485 per OvertheCap.com) in tip-top shape for the start of free agency.

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Without question, the San Francisco 49ers will be looking to bolster their defensive line during the offseason after a rough late-season stretch of line play in 2012. Justin Smith's triceps injury coupled with a lack of production from the rest of the defensive line during his injury has forced the 49ers front office to zero in on its biggest need.

Not to mention the fact that Isaac Sopoaga and Ricky Jean Francois are both scheduled to hit the open market in eight days. Fans and media members alike have been quick to mock Day 1 and Day 2 draft picks to San Francisco for that reason.

However, it appears as if Trent Baalke and Jim Harbaugh would like to add some help from a few potential free agents instead of solely relying on the draft.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the first free-agent prospect they will look at is Cullen Jenkins. Jenkins is an eight-year pro who has played in both the 4-3 and 3-4 over the course of his career. As a member of the Green Bay Packers (2004-2010) he had the most productive season of his career in 2010 as a 3-4 defensive end. 

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After only playing 40 snaps in 2012 and 235 snaps in 2011, the writing was on the wall that Stewart Bradley would not be back with the Cardinals this coming season. He carried a $6.5 million cap number in 2013, which was just too high of a figure considering he wasn't even a starter on Arizona's defense.

Releasing Bradley saved the Cardinals a total of $21.5 million dollars on the three remaining years of his initial five-year deal. However, there is $3 million worth of dead money that the organization owes to the former third-round pick. Meaning Bradley won't officially be off the Cards' payroll until the end of the 2013 season.

As for William Gay, he didn't even last a full calendar year in the desert. After signing a two-year, $4.95 million deal on March 25, 2012, Gay was let go after an average inaugural year in Arizona. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed 52 catches on 88 targets, surrendered 726 yards receiving and opposing quarterbacks had a quarterback rating of 80.

Not the greatest of numbers by any means, yet they could have been a whole lot worse. Gay's contract in 2012 had a bargain price of $1.375 million attached to it, however this upcoming season (2013) wasn't structured to be as bargain friendly. He was due a total of $3.6 million in base salary and bonuses, so it was definitely the right move to make on a player who was performing at his highest level.

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When general manager Trent Baalke and head coach Jim Harbaugh decided to draft Colin Kaepernick back in 2011 with the No. 36 pick, we all knew it was only a matter of time before Kaepernick would take over for Mr. mediocrity, Alex Smith. 

Yet Harbaugh wasn't ready to hand No. 7 the reins immediately; he wanted to give him time to sit and learn for a year. During the 2011 season, Smith showed that he was more than capable of winning and managing games. He did so well in fact that he won the Ed Block Courage Award for his inspiration, sportsmanship, and courage.

Not to mention he had the best statistical season of his career under Harbaugh's tutelage in 2011. It's also worth mentioning that he was on track in 2012 to yet again surpass all of his personal highs from the previous season. Before getting concussed against the St. Louis Rams, Smith was completing 70.2 percent of his passes, he had a quarterback rating of 104.1 and his 13 touchdown passes had him on pace for a personal best by season's end.

However, Smith's stats instantly became meaningless after Kaepernick stepped in and dominated with his incredible arm strength, blazing speed and precision timing. All three were attributes that helped Kap keep the starting quarterback job despite the former No. 1 overall pick making a full recovery from his concussion in just two short weeks.

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After yesterday's trade that sent Alex Smith to the Kansas City Chiefs for two future draft picks, the 49ers are now in the market for a backup quarterback as they currently only have two quarterbacks on the active roster.

Starting quarterback Colin Kaepernick will be entering his first full season as a starter in 2013, and San Francisco's No. 3 quarterback from last year, Scott Tolzien, will likely remain on the roster in a similar role. Yet there's no question that general manager Trent Baalke and head coach Jim Harbaugh would like a more talented backup quarterback to replace Kap if something were to happen to him.

There are obviously two routes the team could take from here. The 49ers could look to pick up a young quarterback in the draft who fits their style of offense, or they could go the other route by picking up a veteran quarterback on the free agent market. The only problem with the latter of the two routes is the fact that this year's class of unrestricted free agents is quite weak.

Some of the most notable names are Jason Campbell, David Carr, Josh Johnson and Luke McCown.

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With just 12 days to go until the beginning of free agency, there has been little to no word on contract talks between Danny Amendola and the St. Louis Rams. It's believed, much like Steven Jackson, that the Rams want Amendola back, but only at the right price. This is obvious because of the organization's current salary cap situation and it's unwillingness to use the franchise tag on the often injured receiver.

Yet Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch does his best at shining a bit of light on the situation during his weekly chat. When a viewer of the chat forum asked Thomas about Tavon Austin and the potential of him coming to St. Louis in the draft, here's what he had to say:

He makes a good point about the West Virginia wideout having such a strong performance at the combine that he may not even be there when the Rams first pick at No. 16 overall. But as I alluded to in the title of the story, the real news here is the fact that Les Snead and Jeff Fisher are "working very hard" to get a deal done with the fourth-year wide receiver out of Texas Tech.

Despite the hard work the front office is putting in, I still find it hard to believe Amendola would re-sign before March 12. When it's this close to free agency, most players still want to hit the open market to find out what their perceived value is. That's not to say No. 16 won't end up with the Rams when it's all said and done, it just means he wants to see who all is interested.

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Well, it's all but official, the San Francisco 49ers have a deal in principle (via Jay Glazer) to send backup quarterback Alex Smith to the Kansas City Chiefs for two picks in total. Glazer didn't provide insight into the compensation, but Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News did. San Francisco will receive the Chiefs' second-round pick in 2013 and a similar pick in 2014:

An absolute undressing of Andy Reid and Kansas City's front office if you ask me. We all know Smith put up incredible numbers since Jim Harbaugh settled in as the 49ers head coach in 2011, but no matter what the argument is, you can't convince me that he's worth two draft picks, especially a top pick in the second round.

He's a 28-year old quarterback that has major limitations in terms of his physical skill set. Not to mention many believe he has reached his overall ceiling as a player, despite the continual progression he has shown the last two years.

Without question Reid will maximize his talent to the fullest, as he does with every quarterback, but for once in his coaching career he was fleeced in a trade. Usually he is the one trading away a quarterback with average talent for a high-round draft pick.

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