Chiefs HC Andy Reid, QB Patrick Mahomes comment on Alex Smith’s retirement

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Former Kansas City Chiefs starting QB Alex Smith announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday.

Smith spent five seasons in Kansas City after being acquired in trade when Andy Reid first arrived with the team. He helped usher in a new era of Chiefs football after one of the lowest points in franchise history during the 2012 NFL season.

Reid spoke a bit about Smith as a person and a player. He also revealed that Smith will have a home in Kansas City if he chooses to take up a coaching career at any point after his retirement.

“Yeah, so you guys know how I feel about him,” Reid said of Smith. “He’s a heck of a person. He had a great career, played for a number of years here and with other teams. Everywhere he went, he made them better. I texted him a while back, if he gets into coaching, I’ll get first dibs on him. Which I doubt he will, [get into coaching]. If he decides to go that route, he’d be a guy that you’d love to have on your staff. But he’s really a special, special person and he’ll go down as one of my all-time favorites there.”

Current Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes only spent one season with Smith in Kansas City, but that one season had a tremendous impact on the young gunslinger. Without Smith’s tutelage, Mahomes’ start to his NFL career might have looked much different. He continues to credit Smith for much of his early development as a player.

“Yeah, I mean, just a tremendous guy, obviously a great player,” Mahomes said of Smith. “He dealt with adversity throughout his career and always seemed to come out on top and to be better for it. He’s someone that has dealt with different coaches, he’s dealt with different systems and he’s always had success.

“Obviously, with the injury he had, to be able to come back and lead his team to the playoffs, it shows you the type of man he is, the type of team player he is. I’m just grateful for the time I had with him that really helped develop me be the quarterback I am today.”

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