Should the 49ers Cut Alex Smith if Shaun Hill Wins the QB Job?

I suspect there is a non-trivial contingent of 49ers fans who would welcome the scenario put forth by the Press Democrat's Matt Maiocco: if Shaun Hill wins the starting quarterback job, the team should cut their losses on Alex Smith.

For the record, Maiocco thinks Smith will be the opening-day starter, but since he doesn't have final say on personnel decisions, he just wants to cover his bases. Fair enough.

If Hill wins the job . . . let me stress this, IF SHAUN HILL WINS THE JOB . . . Alex Smith will have lost his starting role in his fourth season - a year in which he would be expected to shine. And if that happens, the 49ers should take drastic, yet appropriate, action. If Smith is not the starter, the 49ers should sever ties with him before the start of the regular season.

It would be the right thing to do for the organization and it would be the right thing to do for Smith.

You know, it's hard to argue with any of this. I like Smith and think he's faced some pretty tough odds since coming into the league (thanks, Jim Hostler, for doing your part!). That said, this is the NFL, where the average career lasts four years.

And as Maiocco writes, if Smith isn't the starter in '08, it doesn't make sense to keep him around when his salary will be $9 million in '09. Plus, there are sure to be a handful of teams who liked Smith coming out of Utah and think they can revitalize his career. If guys like David Carr, Joey Harrington and Kyle Boller, former first-round picks who never approached their potential (for various reasons), can hang around the league, there's certainly a place for Smith. It just may not be in San Francisco.