Chiefs had multiple offers for Alex Smith

Why did the Washington Redskins give up so much to acquire Alex Smith from the Kansas City Chiefs? Demand.

ESPN reported up to six teams were involved in discussions with the Chiefs in trading for Smith. This, most likely, allowed Kansas City to drive up the price, and they ultimately got a third-round pick and a promising cornerback in Kendall Fuller.

On the surface, teams wanting to trade for Smith makes sense, given there are many heading into the offseason with uncertainty at quarterback. Smith, who will be in 34 in May, has a proven track record and is coming off a career-year.

Smith also had one-year, $17 million left on his contract, so that would have allowed teams to be flexible with how they approached the 2018 season in terms of cap space. (The Redskins giving Smith a four-year, $94 million extension is a different story)

The Arizona Cardinals were reportedly one of the teams interested in Smith, according to azsports central.

The Cardinals need a quarterback after starter Carson Palmer retired at the end of the season without a natural successor in place.

In an interesting wrinkle to this, former Cardinals coach Bruce Arians openly admitted the team wanted to draft Patrick Mahomes or Deshaun Watson last year — only for Kansas City and Houston to trade up and leapfrog Arizona in the draft. Now, Mahomes will be replacing Smith in Kansas City.

Word here at the Super Bowl is the Cardinals were among handful of teams interested in trading for Alex Smith. At some point, Chiefs focused solely on trading to Redskins.

— Kent Somers (@kentsomers) January 31, 2018

Mike Klis of 9News in Denver reported the Broncos “had some interest” in Smith, too.

Both the Broncos and the Cardinals figure to be likely suitors for Kirk Cousins when he hits free agency.

But while there was apparent demand for Smith, it is still unknown how much better the Redskins offer for Smith was compared to the other teams bidding.