Cardinals news: Arizona was interested in Alex Smith prior to trade

Bruce Arians and the Arizona Cardinals were absolutely interested in Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith prior to the trade that sent him to the Washington Redskins.

The Washington Redskins pulled off the surprising trade for Pro Bowl quarterback Alex Smith from the Kansas City Chiefs on Tuesday night.

Prior to that huge move, there was reported interest from stemming the Arizona Cardinals to acquire the 33-year-old, according to Kent Somers of AZ Central Sports.

Word here at the Super Bowl is the Cardinals were among handful of teams interested in trading for Alex Smith. At some point, Chiefs focused solely on trading to Redskins.

— Kent Somers (@kentsomers) January 31, 2018

The Cardinals have been thrown into the market for a starting quarterback after the retirement of three-time Pro Bowler Carson Palmer last month. Backup Blaine Gabbert is also heading toward free agency this upcoming offseason, which has placed a huge question mark on the team's future at the position.

The addition of Smith would have provided the team with much-needed stability under center. The 33-year-old is also coming off a career-best campaign. He posted career highs across the board with 4,042 passing yards with 26 touchdowns to just five interceptions while holding a league-best 104.7 passer rating. He also finished the year third with a 67.5 percent completion rate, eighth in passing yards, and ninth in touchdown passes.

This is a telling sign of what the front office's priorities will be over the offseason as it could entail a strong push to land Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins in free agency. There may also be a push to take a quarterback in the 2018 NFL Draft. They currently hold the 14th overall pick. It could put them in position to select Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield or Wyoming's Josh Allen.

There is a slew of directions the Cardinals can head over the next few months to address their pressing need at the position. It will all lead to some major transitioning next season with head coach Bruce Arians also no longer at the reigns after retiring following the conclusion of the 2017 regular season. There is also no certainty that All-Pro wideout Larry Fitzgerald will return for another year.

All of this could see the team be one of the more active organizations in the league in their efforts to reshaping the roster over the offseason.