When the Kansas City Chiefs decided to select Patrick Mahomes with the 10th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft back in April, they did something that hadn't been done in 47 years. 

The Chiefs' decision to take Mahomes made them the first team since 1970 to draft a quarterback with a top-10 pick following a playoff season. There's a reason that almost never happens: most teams that make the playoffs are happy with their starting quarterback. Also, a playoff team moving up to a top-10 spot in the draft usually involves a high-risk trade that most teams aren't willing to make.  

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That's not case with the Chiefs though, who gave up the 27th overall pick in the draft, their first-round choice in 2018 and a third-rounder in 2017 to land Mahomes. By trading up and grabbing Mahomes, coach Andy Reid has made it clear that Alex Smith -- who just led the Chiefs to their first division title since 2010 -- doesn't have much of a future left in Kansas City. 

Even Smith seems to be realize that he likely won't be around much longer. 

"I think [the Chiefs are] committed to me [only] through this year," Smith said in May. "That's just the nature of it. If you don't go out there and perform, I mean, coach [Andy] Reid and [quarterbacks coach Matt Nagy] are very honest. You've got to go out there and do your deal. We all have to."

What's happening in Kansas City is nearly unprecedented: We're watching an NFL team do nearly everything in its power to move on from a successful starting quarterback. 

During his four years in Kansas City, Smith has put together a 41-20 record, which is better than nearly every other NFL quarterback over that span. As a matter of fact, the only two quarterbacks with more wins over the past four seasons are Tom Brady (47-13) and Russell Wilson (45-18-1), and it's safe to say that neither the Patriots or the Seahawks are looking to dump their starting quarterbacks. 

Obviously, Reid feels that the Chiefs have peaked with Smith and won't be getting any better with him under center, but still, it's somewhat surprising at how eager the Chiefs seem to be to move on from him. 

Even if you consider Smith a middle-of-the-pack quarterback -- for argument's sake, let's say he's the 15th-best QB in the NFL -- then Mahomes will have to be one of the 10 best quarterbacks in the league to justify what the Chiefs gave up to grab him. 

That puts pressure on Mahomes to succeed as soon as he's given the starting job. If I'm a Chiefs fan, I'm at least a little concerned at the quarterback transition that Reid's trying to pull off. 

The last time Reid got this bold at the quarterback position, he traded Donovan McNabb from the Eagles to the Redskins in 2010 after McNabb had led Philly to the playoffs in two straight seasons (2008-09), including an NFC title game appearance in 2008. Although that transition worked for a year -- the Eagles made the playoffs in 2010 with Michael Vick -- things quickly went south after that, and Reid was fired by Philly in 2012. 

As for Smith, it feels like he has at least four more good seasons, and that's based on the fact that the 33-year-old hasn't really been declining at all over the past few years. As a matter of fact, in 2016 Smith hit a career-high in passing yards (3,502), while also putting up his second-highest career completion percentage (67.1 percent). That completion percentage also came with an uncharacteristically high 7.2 yards per attempt number from Smith, which was higher than Derek Carr, Cam Newton and Joe Flacco. 

Although no one will ever mistake Smith for Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees or Ben Roethlisberger, the bottom line is that Smith's style of play can help a team. He's efficient, he rarely turns the ball over and his mobility can open up an offense. 

On the efficiency scale, there weren't many quarterbacks better than Smith. According to Pro Football Focus, Smith had the sixth-highest adjusted completion percentage (77.8) in 2016. The list of players who were better includes names like Brady, Brees and NFL MVP Matt Ryan. 

As for his mobility, that's definitely one of the more underrated parts of Smith's game, Since joining the Chiefs in 2013, Smith has rushed for a total of 1,317 yards. The only three quarterbacks who have rushed for more over that span have all played in a Super Bowl over the past five years (Russell Wilson, Cam Newton, Colin Kaepernick). 

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Alex Smith will try to keep a smile on his face all offseason.  USATSI

One big knock on Smith is that he rarely takes any chances throwing the deep ball. Now, that's definitely true -- no quarterback in the NFL loves a good checkdown more than Smith -- but that doesn't mean he can't succeed. 

Smith's deep ball stats were actually eerily similar to another playoff quarterback from last season: Dak Prescott. According to PFF, Smith went 15 of 46 for 521 yards and two touchdowns on passes that were thrown more than 20 yards downfield. For Prescott, those numbers were 17 of 43 for 547 yards and six touchdowns. 

Smith isn't great at anything, but he's also not horrible at anything, which is almost ironic because it's like he's the Andy Reid of quarterbacks. Reid is a guy who coaches not to lose, and that's exactly how Smith plays. The two were made for each other, which is why it's so fascinating that things aren't working anymore. 

For Chiefs fans who are eager to get rid of Smith, be careful what you wish for. There's at least one team in the AFC who would become an instant Super Bowl contender if he were on their roster: the Broncos. 

That doesn't mean Smith will end up in Denver, but it does mean that Smith will definitely be a coveted free agent if the Chiefs end up cutting him next year. If I'm the Chiefs though, I don't get rid of Smith unless Kansas City finishes below .500. 

By the way, the one other team that selected a quarterback with a top-10 pick after making the playoffs was the Cleveland Browns. 

After going 10-3-1 in 1969 season that ended with an NFC title game appearance (technically, NFL title game, but it was the game before the Super Bowl), the Browns decided they wanted to move on from 28-year-old Bill Nelsen.

In the 1970 NFL Draft, the Browns traded star receiver Paul Warfield to the Dolphins in exchange for the No. 3 overall pick. With that pick, the Browns selected former Purdue quarterback Mike Phipps. Although Phipps would lead the Browns to the playoffs in 1972, he ended up leaving Cleveland with a 24-25-2 record over seven seasons. 

As for Nelsen, he ended up starting two more seasons in Cleveland (1970-71) and led the Browns to the playoffs in 1971. The coach who was responsible for drafting Phipps, Blanton Collier, never actually got to see Phipps start an entire season. Collier retired after the 1970 season due to health problems.