Alex Smith: Timeline of the quarterback’s highs and lows with San Francisco 49ers

Niner Noise goes back and looks at former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith and his timeline with the Niners, from being drafted No. 1 overall in 2005 to the 2013 trade with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Editor’s Note: This is a re-publishing of an archived piece from Niner Noise contributor Eric Melendez, who broke down former 49ers quarterback Alex Smith’s career in San Francisco. 

For the first time since 2004, the San Francisco 49ers depth chart at quarterback will not feature Alex Smith.

At 4:00 p.m. (EST) on Tuesday, Smith will be officially traded from the 49ers to the Kansas City Chiefs for a second-round draft pick.

San Francisco 49ers

Smith will join new head coach Andy Reid in Kansas City in trying to rebuild the Chiefs organization and bring them back to respectability in the NFL. The former Niners QB was tasked with same burdens when he was drafted No. 1 overall by San Francisco in 2005.

If you surround Smith with the talent on offense and the right head coach, one that is offensive-minded and that believes in the quarterback, he can flourish. Just look at what Jim Harbaugh did with Smith over the past two seasons.

But Harbaugh, like Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary before him, decided to go in a different direction with a different quarterback. I wonder how long it will be before Reid does the same with Smith in Kansas City. Does Reid really think Smith can be a franchise QB for the Chiefs? Or is Smith just a holdover for a few seasons until a better quarterback becomes available for the Chiefs?

Time will tell.

Speaking of time, Smith had plenty of ups and downs while he was in a San Francisco 49ers uniform. Here is a timeline of his high’s and low’s in The City. Best of luck to Smith in K.C.