New quarterback Alex Smith says he's 'jacked' to be joining Washington

The trade won't be official until next month, but quarterback Alex Smith is already psyched about being the new starting quarterback for Washington.

"I would be lying if I said the wife and I have not been scoping out the area on Google Maps," Smith said Thursday on the Murph & Mac podcast on KBNR radio (San Francisco).

"I'm jacked. I'm really excited. Once I found out that things in Kansas City were going in a different direction, I was pumped at the opportunity, and when Washington came calling I was hopeful that that was a possible destination, and I'm just jacked that it worked out. They wanted me because the feeling was mutual, and I'm looking forward to it."

The Chiefs agreed to trade Smith, 33, to Washington in exchange for a third-round pick and cornerback Kendall Fuller. Smith then agreed to a four-year extension worth up to $94 million.

Now, he'll be reunited with his former San Francisco 49ers teammate, Washington tight end Vernon Davis. According to Smith, "he was one of the first guys when it broke that hit me up on the phone."

Smith spent eight seasons with the 49ers. During his 2012 campaign, he suffered a concussion in Week 9 and was replaced by Colin Kaepernick. Though he was later medically cleared, Smith never won back his job, and Kaepernick helped lead San Francisco to the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Ravens, 34-31. After the season, the Niners traded him to the Chiefs in exchange for multiple draft picks.

Kansas City made the playoffs in four of Smith's five seasons as the starter, but it was clear that Smith's future with the Chiefs was limited when the organization traded up to select Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes II with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2017 draft. And now, the veteran quarterback is on his third NFL team and approaching the tail end of his playing career.

"I feel amazing," said Smith, who turns 34 in May. "I feel great. I feel like the last five, six years have flown by. I've had more fun than I've ever had playing the game.

" ... My body feels great, so yeah. I feel like I can't see the horizon at this point. People keep asking me that and I don't see it in the near future. Obviously things change, but I'm just loving what I'm doing too much, the challenge of it. I still haven't gotten there obviously and you're after that big one, right? You're trying to do whatever you can and try to figure it out and find the answer."

Washington is hoping Smith, who has made the postseason each of the past three seasons and has been on a team with a winning record every year since 2011, can help them get over the playoff hump.

Washington reached the postseason with quarterback Kirk Cousins in 2015, but went 8-7-1 and 7-9 the past two years. Washington had the option of working out a long-term deal with Cousins, its fourth-round pick in 2012, or using the franchise tag on him for a third straight time. Instead, the organization chose to invest in a partnership with Smith. Washington could try to tag-and-trade Cousins within the next month, but it's a risky proposition for several reasons.

Either way, Washington has its guy and Smith has a new home.