It goes without saying that Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson is clearly fixated on beating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII. However, even Pederson could not help but express his dismay at hearing about the trade that sent Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith to the Washington Redskins.

Washington kickstarted the offseason by acquiring the veteran quarterback in exchange for cornerback Kendall Fuller and a third-round pick. According to Marc Sessler of NFL.com, Pederson is not excited about having to square off with Smith in the NFC East, but he is happy for the QB

“Yeah, I just hate that we have to play him twice a year,” Pederson said Wednesday. “Well, I'm happy for Alex. I've had a chance to work with him for three years obviously and I'm excited and happy for him. I think it's a great honor for him and the Redskins.”

Needless to say, Pederson is extremely familiar with Smith after serving as his offensive coordinator in Kansas City from 2013-15.

The two got off to a tremendous start during their debut season with the Chiefs. Smith enjoyed the best season of his career up to that point, throwing for 3,313 yards, 23 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions en route to his first trip to the Pro Bowl. The Chiefs also enjoyed tremendous success with one playoff appearance after another.

However, it was not long before Pederson got the opportunity to join the Eagles and has now led them to the Super Bowl in just his second season as their head coach. That said, he is still not looking forward to facing Smith in a resurging NFC East. If there is one thing the veteran quarterback has proved is that he certainly knows how to win a division.