Buying or Selling Latest Rumors Surrounding the Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs may be on the clock, but they are the target of many rumors.

Names such as Alex Smith, Matt Flynn and Nick Foles have all been mentioned as trade targets for the Chiefs. Rumors also surround the status of free agents Dwayne Bowe and Branden Albert have surfaced as well.

Will they stay or go? Who will be brought in to replace them?

The most common rumors involve the draft, though. Just who will the Chiefs take first overall?

It is hard to know which of these rumors to trust and which to discard. Luckily, the distinction between what to believe and what not to believe can be made in most cases.

Sell: Alex Smith Is Coming to Kansas City

Alex Smith is one of the top quarterbacks on the trade/free agency market this offseason. It is also rumored (via Adam Schefter) that the Chiefs may look into him since Andy Reid has shown interest in Smith in the past.

The logic behind this is not entirely faulty. Smith is a veteran quarterback, and the Chiefs are quarterback-starved right now. The upcoming draft class is also devoid of an immediate starter. Smith recently saw Colin Kaepernick do well after time as his understudy. Many feel he could do the same for the quarterback Kansas City drafts this year.

The problem with this is that Smith will likely require a mid-round draft pick. Would a rebuilding team be willing to give that for a stop-gap quarterback? It seems unlikely. Especially, when considering Smith had fared very poorly until the arrival of Jim Harbaugh in San Francisco. Smith cannot be ruled out, but he seems out of the Chiefs' price range for now.

Buy: Nick Foles Will Be the Chiefs' Next Quarterback

It’s not set in stone, but this scenario is far from unlikely.

The Chiefs are reported to be showing lots of interest in Foles (even more so than in Alex Smith). Foles also was an Andy Reid draft pick, and could be viewed as a franchise quarterback.

There is also the matter of Chip Kelly. Kelly, the new Philadelphia Eagles head coach, prefers a system with mobile quarterbacks. Foles is anything but. With Michael Vick having his contract restructured, and Dennis Dixon (the ex-Oregon quarterback) possibly returning to play for his old coach, Foles seems to be on the trade block.

The best news? He might only cost a mid-round pick. If Reid believes Foles is a starter, perhaps he’ll move a third-round pick to acquire him.

Sell: Geno Smith or Any Quarterback Is off the Table at No. 1 Overall

In a recent radio segment, Todd McShay seemed to shrug off the idea that the Chiefs would go quarterback with their first pick.

McShay seemed to suggest that the pick was down to offensive tackle Luke Joeckel of Texas A&M or defensive lineman Star Lotulelei of Utah. The Chiefs might try to trade back into the first round for a quarterback, according to McShay. This is not believable for a few reasons.

The first reason is that the Chiefs have a gaping hole at quarterback. Unless they acquire a long-term solution like Foles, they likely will still want their franchise quarterback.

The biggest reason the Chiefs may take a quarterback No. 1 overall: The stock of quarterbacks shoot up around draft time. With Smith working out at the combine, his stock could soar. If that happens he would not be such a reach with the first pick.

This seems the most likely scenario to me right now.

Sell: The Chiefs Won’t Re-Sign Branden Albert Due to His Back Injury

It was starting to sound like Albert was a major injury risk, but news that he passed a physical (via Mike Garafolo of USA Today) has helped to dispel this rumor.

Albert took a major step forward this season and seems poised to get paid well this offseason. The article mentioned he is still in contract talks with the Chiefs, and you get the feeling he will be back.

It’s early in the free agency process, but things are looking up in terms of Albert returning to Kansas City. For a unit that struggled with continuity last season due to injuries, this is great news.

Sell: Dwayne Bowe’s Baggage Will Prevent Him from Getting a Big Contract

This rumor started from a quote by an NFL Scout to SI’s Peter King.

Dwayne Bowe’s baggage might scare off quite a few teams, but he is too talented to leave the free agent-pool without a big contract. The Chiefs may be the team most willing to give it to him.

Bowe was the team’s only receiving threat last year, and his loss would be crushing to a Kansas City offense looking to break in a new quarterback.

There is one way that Bowe could leave free agency without big contract: The Chiefs could opt to give him the franchise tag. This would raise his salary by five million next season, but the Chiefs are not exactly up against the cap. They have plenty of room to re-sign Bowe.

If Kansas City opts not to bring him back then another team will surely offer him a large chunk of change.