On the eve of the 2014 season starting in the coming week, Alex Smith and the Chiefsreportedly agreed to a deal that will pay the quarterback $68 million over four years. Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star first reported the deal, which will pay Smith $17 million a year over the next four years. Smith was entering the final year of his contract and set to make $7.5 million in the final year of his deal. Substantial hand-wringing and heated debate's taken place over whether or not Smith is worthy of "franchise quarterback money." This deal will certainly put Smith in that zone: $17 million a year would make him the 10th-highest paid quarterback on an average basis (via OverTheCap.com). But, like, with Andy Dalton's deal, there's some asterisks that are warranted and caveats that apply. Let's see the guaranteed money involved for Smith and the guaranteed money per year -- Dalton makes a ton of money but his average guarantee per year is more "average" than it is "elite." Source: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/24689845/report-alex-smith-signs-four-year-68m-contract
