Should Chiefs move on from Smith, pursue Romo?

The Kansas City Chiefs have been adamant that Alex Smith is their starting quarterback for the 2017 season, despite the fact the veteran quarterback once again failed to lead a talented roster to a deep playoff run this past campaign.

But should Smith's job security be as secure as the Chiefs would like us to believe, especially with Tony Romo likely to be a free agent this offseason once the Dallas Cowboys inevitably release him?

Now, on the face of it, swapping out a Smith for a Romo might seem like too big of a risk. Smith is 32, while Romo is 36, and the latter has a significant injury history. Also, while Smith is far from a top-level quarterback, he's played well enough for the Chiefs to succeed over the past three seasons.

But solid regular-season success and the odd playoff win shouldn't be enough for this franchise anymore.

This is a team with Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, Eric Berry (assuming he re-signs), Marcus Peters, Justin Houston, and Dee Ford, as well as numerous other strong role players. The Chiefs should be contending for Super Bowls before this iteration of the team needs to be blown up, and history has proven Smith is not the quarterback capable of doing so.

Admittedly, this would be the type of franchise-altering move that successful teams fear to do, often opting to keep the status quo and hope they get lucky. It's more than likely the Chiefs keep Smith for 2017, with his manageable $16.9-million cap hit, and get to double-digit wins partly due to the overall weakness of the AFC.

But, when healthy, Romo is a top-10 passer. He's a game changer, not a game manager. Whether he's still that guy remains to be seen, but the Chiefs would be foolish to commit to Smith without kicking the tires on Romo. And based on recent trades for quarterbacks, Smith would fetch at least a mid-round pick, giving the team more ammunition to build for a short run with Romo.

If Romo is released, and if he's willing to take a reasonable contract, and if he's still great, he could provide the Chiefs with a two- or three-year window to capture a Lombardi Trophy.

That's a lot of "ifs," but after three years of the safest quarterback play imaginable, it's time for Kansas City to roll the dice.