Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith was set to become a free agent after this season, but things quickly changed after he agreed to an 4-year, $68 million extension.

The former first-overall pick hasn’t blown anyone away with his numbers, which is why a lot of national pundits questioned if Smith was worth the price.

Chiefs general manager John Dorsey believes in his starting quarterback.

“It was a priority of ours to get this deal done and keep Alex in a Chiefs uniform long-term,” Dorsey said. “Alex is a proven leader on and off the field. He is a special individual with a lot of ability, and we are fortunate to have him here.”

Say whatever you want about Smith’s inabilities, but one thing you can’t take away from him is his winning pedigree. Through his 24-game stint in Kansas City, Smith has piled up a record of 16-8. In the previous 24 games the Chiefs were just 5-19.

Head coach Andy Reid is licking his chops to get more out of Smith.

“Alex is a smart, talented football player that has adapted well to our offensive scheme, Reid said. “He also, obviously, has had a tremendous amount of success as a quarterback in this league. We as a team are very happy to have Alex as our quarterback moving forward.”

People are quick to label Smith as a ‘game manager’ , which short sells his value. A game manager is someone that’s asked to hand the ball off and not lose games. However, after eight games, Smith only has four less pass attempts than Aaron Rodgers and no one would consider Rodgers a game manager.

“I don’t care what you call it as long as it results in a win,” Smith said, smiling and adding, “You always want to be efficient in the passing game. I don’t think that’s a negative thing.”

Efficient is the perfect word to describe Smith. He’s thrown 34 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions while in Kansas City. This season, Smith has completed 67.1 percent of his throws.

Chiefs legend Len Dawson was the quarterback for the lone Super Bowl winning team in franchise history. The Hall Of Famer has liked what he’s seen from Smith.

“Decision-making is the most important thing,” Dawson said. “He makes the right decisions, and his teammates know it.”

However, last season didn’t end the way Smith wanted. Kansas City blew a 28-point lead to Indianapolis in the AFC Wildcard game.

Although Kansas City put up 44 points, all Smith could think about was one missed pass to Cyrus Gray.

“Any time you get an opportunity like that, you expect to hit it,” Smith told reporters after the playoff defeat. “The tough part is all week we so many reps, (and) obviously with Jamaal (Charles) getting all of those, it’s just something we have never repped with Cyrus.”

With Denver likely to win the AFC West for the fourth straight year, Smith and his Chiefs are hoping to get another shot in postseason play. The Chiefs are currently in a 21-year playoff victory drought and they believe Smith can change that in January.