Alex Smith, Chiefs OK four

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There is nothing like a deadline to spur action.

Days before the NFL season opens, quarterback Alex Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs are finishing up a four-year extension worth roughly $17 million per year that includes $45 million in guarantees, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reports per a source informed of the deal. The Kansas City Star first reported the news.

Smith is entering his 10th season, and there were questions about whether the Chiefs wanted to pay him among the top-tier of NFL quarterbacks. Smith seems to have won the staring contest.

Smith had one year left on his contract at $7.5 million this season.

We don't yet have an exact breakdown of the deal, which will give us a better look at how much of that $45 in guarantees Smith will actually get now. The quarterback said during negotiations he didn't want the type of Andy Dalton/ Colin Kaepernick pay-as-you-go deal.

It doesn't appear the quarterback had to settle for a team-friendly deal.

Smith threw for a career-best 3,313 yards and 23 touchdowns last season, in his first year under Andy Reid.

The 30-year-old quarterback led a Chiefs offense that got in sync in the second half of the season and carried a limping defense down the stretch. Despite the Chiefs' defense blowing a big lead in the playoffs loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Smith put on one of his best performances, completing 30 of 46 passes for 378 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.

The Chiefs very well might have drafted in the top-10 in 2014 if Smith had not been under center last season.

During this preseason, Smith performed admirably despite a troubled offensive line that caused the quarterback to scramble for his life on many occasions.

Despite being the No 1 overall pick in 2005, Smith has been viewed as the quarterback version of 'always a bridesmaid and never a bride.' From his last handfull of years in San Francisco to the start of his first year in Kansas City, many believed Smith was merely holding the fort for a younger, flashier quarterback.

However, Smith finally got the contract that loudly states the Chiefs believe he can provide stability and playmaking for the foreseeable future.

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