QB Alex Smith worrying only about now with the Kansas City Chiefs

KANSAS CITY -- There is no doubt the name of the man that will start at quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2017 season: Alex Smith. Only a serious injury will keep him from opening all 16 games with head coach Andy Reid's offense.

But as the team hits the practice field for the start of OTA practices this week, the spotlight remains on the quarterback position. That's thanks to first-round draft choice Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs paid dearly in April's draft for the chance to select the Texas Tech passer with the 10th choice in the first round.

Smith is the starter, but the football world always loves a quarterback controversy, especially when it involves a 33-year-old seasoned starter (Smith) and a 21-year old rookie challenger (Mahomes).

Playing time and opportunities are in flux at running back, inside linebacker and cornerback with the Chiefs, but the attention even in late May is on how Mahomes will handle the transition to the NFL, and how Smith will handle the presence of the youngster on his shoulders.

Last week, Smith indicated with public comments that he felt the Chiefs were only committed to him for the coming season. The implication was that his days behind center for Reid were numbered.

After an OTA session this week, Smith attempted to walk back his comments, believing they were misinterpreted.

"What I felt like I said is this is my 13th year, we're opening up with New England, we're in the middle of OTAs and right now I'm worried about beating our defense," Smith said. "In the back of my head, I'd be lying if I didn't know that the opener was there (Foxborough). Beyond that, I'm not thinking about Week 2, I'm not thinking about next year and I'm not guaranteed anything beyond that. I've been playing long enough to know that. This is a year-to-year deal.

"Regardless of the draft picks behind me or free agency or this or that -- that's the deal. You've got to go out and prove it every week and every year. If you don't, they're going to find someone who can. That's the nature of the business. That's what I felt like I tried to say, certainly not that I felt like my days were numbered or anything like that."

The dynamic of the situation is familiar territory for Smith. He was the young challenger when he was the first choice of the 2005 draft by San Francisco. He was 21 years old and billed as the 49ers' quarterback of the future. Eight seasons later, after finally enjoying some success as the San Francisco starter, the 28-year-old Smith suffered a midseason concussion that cost him his starting job as head coach Jim Harbaugh replaced him with 25-year-old quarterback Colin Kaepernick, in his second NFL season.

"This is a team sport at the end of the day," Smith said. "It can be awkward and different at times. You've just got to communicate, hash it out and work through it."

Smith touched base early with Mahomes after the draft, but he's going to let football nature take its course in the coming weeks and months.

"All of a sudden, you're thrown out here in the middle of camp, you've got a new playbook and you're going against an NFL defense," Smith said. "He'll need a chance to settle down, focus on football and get into a regular routine. We're going to have a lot of time to hash it out. For me, it's important to not be in a rush with that and get to know him."

The Chiefs' locker room continues to say it knows Smith is the No. 1 quarterback.

"I've had a chance to play catch with (Mahomes) a little bit and everybody knows he has a big arm," said wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. "But everybody knows this is Alex's team, and I think it's going to benefit him learning from Alex and how Alex approaches things. It's a win-win situation. He has a bright future, but we're riding Alex."