49ers ship Alex Smith to Kansas City

The 49ers have reportedly sent another quarterback to a familar destination: Kansas City.

It won’t be official until March 12, but according to reports Wednesday morning, the 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs have agreed to a deal that would send quarterback Alex Smith to the midwest.

The trade will be the third time in two decades that the 49ers have dealt a signal caller to Kansas City, with Smith becoming the fifth former 49ers starting QB to go on to start for the Chiefs.

In 1993, Hall of Famer Joe Montana was shipped to Kansas City, and in 1994, Steve Bono was traded to the Chiefs where he backed up Montana for one year before becoming the starter in 1995. Steve DeBerg and Elvis Grbac also started for the Chiefs after previously leading the 49ers.

The reports, if true, mean the 49ers were able to unload Smith’s massive $8.5 million contract on to a team looking to start over at the quarterback position.

In return, the 49ers pick up a couple of Chiefs’ draft picks, including the 34th overall selection in next month’s NFL Draft.

Not too bad of a deal for a player that has never made a Pro Bowl and hasn’t led the league in any meaningful stats.

The 49ers now own the 31st and 34th picks in the draft along with 10 additional picks in later rounds. Three more compensatory picks the 49ers expect to be awarded brings them to a staggering 15 draft picks in 2013.

With a stockpile of draft picks at their disposal, Trent Baalke and Jim Harbaugh have the option of trading some of those picks for established NFL players. A Super Bowl contender like the 49ers doesn’t really need 15 rookies running around training camp.

And for even more drama, Smith might get the chance to face the 49ers in 2014. The Chiefs are tentatively scheduled to play the 49ers in San Francisco next season.

Of course, this assumes Smith plays well enough to hold on to the Chiefs’ starting quarterback job until next season.