Alex Smith trade rumors: Cardinals out, Chiefs lead race for 49ers quarterback

The San Francisco 49ers are looking to trade quarterback Alex Smith, and they have a few suitors who are hoping to strike a deal.

The two teams thought to be most involved in the proceedings are the Kansas City Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals. Jason La Confora of CBS Sports says that only one of those teams have an offer that the 49ers are really taking seriously.

The Alex Smith trade is not with Arizona, to be clear again. The Cards offer was weak. 49ers told people its not AZ. KC remains likely team

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) February 27, 2013

For San Francisco, it makes much more sense to trade Smith to the Chiefs. Why send a quarterback upgrade to a division rival when you can ship Smith to the AFC, seeing him only once every four years?

Kansas City is desperate for a signal-caller after struggling through a 2-14 season thanks to the incredibly horrendous can-you-believe-this-guy-is-still-employed coaching style of Romeo Crennel and the underwhelming play of Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn.

The Chiefs believe they can get the best out of Smith -- the highest rated passer at the time of his benching last season -- with new head coach Andy Reid in the fold.

Reid favors a West Coast style of offense, something that relies on accuracy and rhythm, two things at which Smith excels.

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