Report: Chiefs interested in Alex Smith, Luke Joeckel

Posted by Josh Alper on February 24, 2013, 2:38 PM EST
APTrade talks involving Nick Foles might not have gone anywhere, but that’s not the only trade option available to the Chiefs this offseason.
Alex Smith would be another possibility and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network and NFL.com reports that it is one that interests them. Rapoport writes that “word is starting to leak of their interest” in Smith and that the Chiefs have “shown more interest” than anyone else in making a trade for a quarterback that could become their starter in 2013.
The 49ers said this week that all options are on the table in regard to Smith, who is set to make $8.5 million in 2013. A trade that allows Smith to at least challenge for a starting role while also bringing something back for the 49ers seems like the best one of those options for all involved.
Rapoport also reports that the Chiefs are “high” on Texas A&M left tackle Luke Joeckel, a player who has been mentioned often in discussions of possibilities for the first overall pick in the draft. That’s not surprising, although interest in Joeckel will help dictate what the team does with current left tackle Branden Albert, an impending free agent. There’s been some talk of keeping Albert and moving him to guard if Joeckel is the pick in April, albeit talk Albert thinks should cease and desist.
With a decision looming for wide receiver Dwayne Bowe as well, the Chiefs will have plenty to do in the next couple of weeks as they plot their course into the free agency and trading season.