Five years ago, in his prime at age 28, Alex Smith completed more than 70 percent of his passes and posted a quarterback rating above 100 for the only time in his career — and still lost his starting job with the 49ers, tossed aside for Colin Kaepernick.
Now, at 33, Smith is putting up even better numbers in Kansas City. He leads the NFL in quarterback rating (119.2) and completion percentage (72.9), and he matched Randall Cunningham’s league record for most touchdown passes (12) without an interception through six games.
That doesn’t sound like a game manager.