San Francisco 49ers Should Be Cautious When Re-Signing Alex Smith

The San Francisco 49ers signed Alex Smith to a one-year, $4 million contract in the offseason and weren't even sure if the former No. 1 overall pick would start for them. Fast forward to Week 14 and the team is 10-2 with Smith under center, and the 49ers now have to think about re-signing him this offseason.

While Smith hasn't had big-time numbers this year, head coach Jim Harbaugh has sung his praises on more than one occasion. The 27-year-old has been relatively efficient and has done enough to win games on a team with an incredibly stout defense. 

While I've been impressed with Smith's ability to manage games this season, I believe it would be foolish for the 49ers to invest heavily in him long-term. After all, San Francisco's passing attack ranks 29th in the NFL, averaging just 185.3 yards per game. 

Smith has had by far his best professional season. He has completed 203 of 321 passes (63.2 percent) for 2,390 yards, with 15 touchdowns and just five interceptions. His quarterback rating of 94.9 ranks seventh in the NFL.

Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com thinks the 49ers could get a deal done with Smith for two or three years at between $8-11 million per season. Frankly, I think that's really high for him. 

I know how important having a competent quarterback is, and it's obvious that Smith is gaining in confidence and that is slowly showing up on the field. Still, one pretty good season isn't enough to convince me he's worthy of a huge payday. 

With Colin Kaepernick backing him up, I could see Smith getting three years at $6 million per. I don't think there will be a huge market for him outside of San Francisco, since teams don't often sign caretaker quarterbacks to big contracts. 

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.