KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- When he was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs last off-season, quarterback Alex Smith professed his admiration for coach Andy Reid and his excitement at playing for the storied franchise. Now, he could have that opportunity for at least four more years. Smith signed a $68 million extension Sunday to remain with the Chiefs through the 2018 season, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team did not disclose the terms of the contract. Smith, who is due $7.5 million this season, will receive $45 million in new guarantees. "It was a priority of ours to get this deal done and keep Alex in a Chiefs uniform long term," Chiefs general manager John Dorsey said in a statement. "Alex is a proven leader on and off the field. He is a special individual with a lot of ability and we are fortunate to have him here." Smith and his agent, Tom Condon, had been discussing an extension for several months, and both sides were hopeful that a deal would be reached by the regular season. But with the Chiefs opening against Tennessee next weekend, time was quickly running out. "John and his staff along with Tom and his group have worked hard to get this deal done. Theyve done a nice job," Reid said in a statement. "Alex is a smart, talented football player that has adapted well to our offensive scheme. He also, obviously, has had a tremendous amount of success as a quarterback in this league. We as a team are very happy to have Alex as our quarterback." The Kansas City Star first reported that Smith had reached an agreement. The former No. 1 overall draft pick joins a wave of quarterbacks who have recently signed long-term extensions, including the Bengals Andy Dalton and the 49ers Colin Kaepernick. Smith has not played well in the preseason, throwing two interceptions in the red zone in his final outing against Minnesota. But hes been hampered by an offensive line in turmoil, an injury to running back Jamaal Charles that kept him out two weeks of training camp, and a suspect group of wide receivers that will start the season without suspended star Dwayne Bowe. "I feel good. I mean, I feel great," Smith said last week. "We got some good work, some things to learn from to get better, but I do -- I do feel confident in what were doing." Smiths deal is important for the Chiefs on other fronts, too. Now that hes under contract, they can turn their attention toward a long-term deal with Pro Bowl pass rusher Justin Houston. And if they fail to reach an agreement with him, the Chiefs could put the franchise tag on Houston without worrying about losing Smith to free agency. After arriving in Kansas City for a pair of second-round draft picks, Smith had possibly the best season of his career. He threw for a career-high 3,313 yards and 23 touchdowns against only seven interceptions, even while skipping a meaningless regular-season finale. More importantly, he took a downtrodden team that had won two games before his arrival to an 11-5 record and the playoffs. Smith threw for 378 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-44 loss to the Colts, setting playoff franchise record with 30 completions and 46 attempts. Smiths won-loss record the past three seasons is 30-9-1, trailing only the Patriots Tom Brady, Packers Aaron Rodgers and Saints Drew Brees in wins among QBs with at least 30 starts. Now with a year in Reids system, Smith thinks he can be even better this season. "Its always a progression. Its not like weve arrived anywhere," he said recently. "I mean, last year is a great example of where we started the season and where we ended it. Every season is like that. "There are ups and downs along the way throughout the season, but youve got to continue to progress. You want to be playing your best football as the season goes on and into late in the year. So, youre never just at a place. Youre always striving to be moving forward." Now, Smith knows that hell be moving forward with Kansas City. Daniel Hudson Jersey .m. ET, CBSOPENING LINE — Colts by 5RECORD VS. SPREAD — Cincinnati 8-8, Indianapolis 11-5SERIES RECORD — Colts lead 18-10LAST MEETING — Colts beat Bengals 27-0, Oct. Andrew Stevenson Nationals Jersey . Off-Season Game Plan examines a team facing some challenging times as GM Bryan Murray tries to put together a roster for next season. Perhaps the first challenge facing Murray is that its expected he will be moving out Jason Spezza, a premier point producer who is about to enter the final year of his contract. https://www.cheapnationals.com/1437r-roenis-elias-jersey-nationals.html ., will experience this week. A year in which the Canadian curling championship has been pushed forward a week to accommodate the Winter Olympics was deemed the perfect chance to stage the event in Montreal for the first time since 1979. Victor Robles Nationals Jersey . Smith has spent the last three seasons with the Rockies, playing both left and right field, and has a .275 batting average with 51 homers and 181 RBIs in 487 major league games. Washington Nationals Shirts . Ending a nine-game losing streak? That gave the Milwaukee Bucks veteran forward a reason to smile.CHICAGO -- Pitcher Jose Quintana and the Chicago White Sox have agreed to a $21 million, five-year contract that would increase to $26.5 million if he is eligible for salary arbitration after this season. The deal announced Monday includes two team options that could add $22 million. Quintana has 1 year, 133 days of major league service. The cutoff for arbitration eligibility was 2 years, 122 days this year and 2-139 last year. After agreeing this month to a one-year deal paying $550,000 in the major leagues and $300,000 in the minors, Quintero gets an $850,000 salary this season. If eligible for arbitration at the end of this year, he would get $3.4 million in 2015, $5.dddddddddddd million in 2016, $7 million in 2017 and $8.85 million in 2018. If not eligible for arbitration after this season, Quintana would receive $1 million in 2015, $3.8 million in 2016, $6 million in 2017 and $8.35 million in 2018. Chicago has a $10.5 million option for 2019 with a $1 million buyout. If thats exercised, the White Sox have a $10.5 million option for 2020 with a $1 million buyout. If he wins a Cy Young Award at any point through 2019, the 2020 option price would increase to $14 million, If he finishes second or third in the voting at any point through 2019, the 2020 option would rise to $13 million. ' ' 'd outfielder Jordan Danks for assignment. ' ' '