KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Alex Smith has said goodbye.
In an article posted Tuesday morning on the Players Tribune, Smith, the quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs the last five seasons, said thank you to Kansas City Chiefs fans.
Although not official until Wednesday, Smith was traded to the Washington Redskins in February in a move that saw the Chiefs get cornerback Kendall Fuller, a third-round draft pick and cleared millions in salary cap space the team can use to sign free agents.
In Tuesday’s posting, Smith waxed nostalgic on his time in Kansas City.
“As a quarterback, you arrive to the stadium pretty early on game day,” Smith said online. “And when I’d get to Arrowhead, the parking lot would already be full. Honestly, if you show up to tailgate in Kansas City at 8:30 a.m., you’re already late to the party.
“Just seeing how dedicated Chiefs fans are, it always instilled a sense of pride in me to put on that jersey and go out and play for them. I don’t think that’s always the case in pro sports, and I never took that for granted during my five years in Kansas City. I’m going to miss that.”
Smith’s departure is one of a string of moves the team has made in the off-season. On Tuesday, the team announced the free agent signings of wide receiver Sammy Watkins and linebacker Anthony Hitchens.
Those moves came a day after the team released veteran defenders Tamba Hali and Ron Parker.
The team already traded pro-bowl cornerback Marcus Peters to the Los Angeles Rams.
