Chapter 549 The Beginning of the Storm
Although Levi was a little worried, Smith took a long breath, put aside those hopes and dreams, and returned to reality. His head, which was floating in the clouds like a hot air balloon, finally calmed down.
"What did you say? Welcome to the professional league."
"Here, interests always outweigh individuals. Everyone needs to keep this in mind before embracing illusory and unrealistic fantasies."
Relieved, finally relieved.
But the bitterness is still bitter.
Li Wei hesitated to speak, but didn't know how to speak.
Smith stopped him, "There is no need to comfort me. Your comfort will only make me look more embarrassed. In fact, I am not that pitiful."
"Haha." Levi could taste the self-deprecation in Smith's words. Since he was leisurely joking, it meant that Smith had recovered.
"So, how are you going to respond to them?"
Smith lightly shrugged and leaned back in his chair, as if he had finally entered a vacation state, with a relaxed expression on his face.
"It's simpler this way. There are no emotional cards. It's purely about interests. Since they use interests to measure transactions, I also use interests to measure options."
"I agree with you, if they're willing to give me a five-year, $200 million contract, why not? I'm willing to go to New York and be a cow."
"Look, how kind I am, I haven't asked for full coverage yet."
Levi couldn't hold it back anymore and laughed heartily, "That's the attitude you want."
After smiling, Levi didn't speak, and neither did Smith. He suddenly fell into a brief silence, and the air was quietly filled with a little sadness——
No matter what, this is a farewell.
From the NCAA to the NFL, this is the first time Levi has experienced such a scene.
Levi was a little curious, "Captain, how do you feel now?"
Smith thought about it seriously and said, "I feel a little relieved. Of course, I once thought about ending my career in Kansas. After all, I am already thirty-four years old and I don't have much time to stay on the football field."
"but."
"This is life. Not only professional leagues, but also life. There will always be changes. We will always be dominated by our emotions, get ourselves into trouble again and again, and then find solutions to move on."
After a pause, Smith looked at Levi, a smile creeping onto his lips again.
"However, this time is different from last time. Kansas is not San Francisco. This time I have the choice. This is my choice and my decision."
"So, I can say goodbye with a smile."
This time, Smith's smile was genuine.
Levi also showed a smile and shook his head slightly.
"I can tell you are an old man at first glance. It is not fashionable to say goodbye now. We should say we are waiting for the next meeting and looking forward to the next showdown."
"Hey Alex..."
Smith didn't expect Levi to suddenly call his name. In his memory, this seemed to be the first time, and Levi actually called it right.
"I won't show mercy."
In one word, calm but firm, Smith saw the confident light in Levi's eyes and could no longer control himself, laughing freely and wantonly.
Then, Smith picked up the water glass and said, "I'm waiting."
He raised his glass from a distance and drank it all in one gulp.
Smith propped his hands on the table, "I heard that your training is particularly hard." Levi raised his eyebrows slightly, and was a little surprised that news of the training camp actually spread. Of course, they didn't deliberately keep it secret. There was no secret anyway.
Smith, “There is a bird that occasionally asks me professional questions.”
Ah, Mahomes.
"How about it, do you still have space? I thought, since I came to Miami, in order to avoid attracting attention, why not I train here as well. You can help ask JJ to see if he minds this matter."
Levi's eyes widened, "Are you sure? Why can't you think about it so hard?"
"Haha, hahaha."
Laughter, stirring in the Miami breeze.
This time, Smith did stay in Miami and joined Watt's training camp. However, Smith also suffered from injuries and was not suitable for such high-intensity training, so he just borrowed the venue and trained alone, occasionally joining their tactical discussions and sharing. own wisdom.
Staying in Miami keeps Smith away from rumors and hustle and bustle. All negotiations are left to the agent to prevent Smith from being exposed to the storm.
This is a wise choice.
Over there, the league's offseason is turbulent, and a series of news continues.
Not only the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas Chiefs are facing quarterback decision-making issues, but in the season just ended, controversy over quarterback performance has been staged in many teams.
For example, when Keenum of the Minnesota Vikings suddenly emerges, should the team give him a big contract to stay?
For example, the performance of Bortles of the Jacksonville Jaguars has been criticized, and whether the team should change its tactics and replace its starting quarterback.
And so on and so forth.
Because of this, the quarterback market is particularly noisy.
When the Kansas City Chiefs confirmed the news that they were negotiating a contract extension with their main quarterback, but it was still in progress, this news gave the league a signal——
Smith is not 100 percent guaranteed to stay in Kansas City.
One stone stirs up a thousand waves.
Although the transfer of Super Bowl champion quarterbacks has happened before, each time it happened, it was still as big and exciting.
Soon, all kinds of rumors were flying all over the sky, and Smith's name was quickly linked to the New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos and other teams, and the battle for the veteran quarterback began.
Then, the Washington Redskins suddenly emerged and relied on a loose salary cap to attract Smith to join. However, the Washington Redskins and the Kansas City Chiefs had differences over the terms of the transaction, and the negotiations between the two parties reached a deadlock.
At this time, the Minnesota Vikings came from behind and joined the fierce competition. Like the Washington Redskins, they also had enough salary cap to introduce Smith. The game quickly evolved into a three-legged game.
Just when everyone thought the situation would be stalemate for a while, without warning, the Minnesota Vikings withdrew from the competition, and their momentum collapsed instantly. Instead, the New York Giants remained patient and silently worked hard to replace the Minnesota Vikings. Kyoto became a strong competitor.
In the end, the decision rested with Smith.
Although all the above are rumors, no party has given a positive response, no admission or clarification, and the source of the so-called inside information has not been disclosed, but the league soon learned:
Smith is basically confirmed to be transferred to the Washington Redskins, but the Kansas City Chiefs still failed to retain Smith.
Rumors indicate that Smith's requested annual salary exceeds the salary cap of the Kansas City Chiefs. After selecting two first-round picks in last season's draft, the Kansas City Chiefs' operating space has shrunk this season and their hands have been tied up.
Next, just wait until March 14th, when the free market officially stipulated by the league opens, and then the teams will rush to announce their signing decisions.
but!
A sudden emergence, just when everyone thought that Smith's whereabouts might become the biggest hit on the first day of the free market, the Minnesota Vikings stole all the attention, and a dazzling operation put the entire league in shock.
(End of chapter)