Dominate the Super Bowl

Chapter 544: 543 A bad person Chapter 544: 543 A bad person On the open-air balcony, a gentle breeze blew, the view was vast, and so was the easing of his mind.

Smith did not avoid the issue, thus admitting candidly, “Yes, I know I’m a troublemaker.”

Li Wei couldn’t help but laugh, “If all trouble had such self-awareness, it would be much easier to solve.”

Smith lightly shook his head, “Not necessarily.”

“If I refuse to compromise, I become a problem for the team and the players.”

“As it stands, my salary is already squeezing the salary cap, but my goal is to keep increasing my annual pay,” he continued.

“The team is definitely going to face a dilemma with the cap, and they might not be able to fix gaps in free agency—God, our secondary defense really needs some support.”

“My salary might even take up so much space that the team would have to cut staff, losing other key roles from our current lineup.”

At this point, the consequences of Veach’s choice to pick two first-round rookies last year became apparent.

Typically, rookies should be a salary dip, freeing up cap space for team moves; but now with two first-round rookies, their salaries have risen, consequently tightening the team’s operational flexibility.

Then there’s the Super Bowl effect.

Right now, Smith wants to raise his annual salary, but is it just Smith?

Don’t other players have their own thoughts?

At the end of the day, players are workers too.

They also want higher wages; they also want year-end bonuses.

It’s everyone’s basic right.

The existence of a hard salary cap means Veach has to make choices.

“Of course, there are other options.”

“I could give up a big contract, continue with the team, or even take a pay cut to stay.”

“But rookie, I want to be selfish for once.”

“I want to fight for a big contract, I want to advocate for myself, I want to prove I still have fuel in the tank, I want to continue to compete for victories and championships on the field, I want to show my worth.”

“I’m greedy, and I have ambition.”

“Actually, I’m not as kind-hearted as everyone thinks.”

Admitting his greed and selfishness seemed not so difficult, Smith revealed a bitter smile.

Li Wei gently shook his head, “No, captain, true greed would never acknowledge this, wouldn’t reflect, wouldn’t struggle, nor sit down with a teammate to candidly recognize their ambition; the moment you chose to honestly face yourself, that was an affirmation and pursuit of self.”

“You chose to believe in your worth and to believe that you still have more energy to keep running, to keep challenging, and to trust in breaking further boundaries.”

“It’s different.”

True selfishness isn’t traveling all the way to Miami to have an open and sincere dialogue with Li Wei, but rather refusing to answer calls from the team manager and teammates, letting one’s agent and lawyer be the bad guys, pushing everyone away, blindly chasing after benefits regardless of the damage to the team.

In just a few sentences, Smith was stunned.

He stared intently at Li Wei, his emotions turbulent beneath the surface, and then, Smith managed a constrained smile, involuntarily adjusting his posture.

“Thank you.”

Smith said softly.

To cover up his awkwardness, Smith didn’t pause, didn’t give Li Wei a chance to speak, took a deep breath, and continued.

“So, the best choice would be not to put the team in a difficult position.”

“I choose to leave of my own accord, to go to another team with cap room to seek a big contract, and then prove myself there.”

“In doing so, the team could get something out of the trade, whether draft picks or players, I believe I should still have some value; then, Patrick can become the starter, clear salary cap space, look for suitable players in free agency, and further solidify the team.”

“Patrick, he’s ready.”

“`

“You are his best friend, you should understand better than I do, he might still have deficiencies, still needs to continue learning and growing, but with you by his side, even the last bit of problem isn’t a problem.”

“Defending the title is hard, unimaginably so; but at least, I can create some operational space for the team.”

“Maybe, this is the last gift I leave to Kansas City.”

“Heh, a gift that’s not a gift.”

Towards the end, his voice gradually lowered, turning into a murmur.

But, it was only a brief moment, Smith looked back at Li Wei, his shy smile blooming with an unprecedented brilliance, as if he had finally found his mission, even slightly excited and agitated, ready to take action, radiating a happy halo from within.

In Li Wei’s eyes, however, there was the burning sensation of a moth to a flame—

He was not as frank as Smith.

Actually, from the beginning, Smith was right.

Confronted with Smith’s first question, despite being in face-to-face conversation, Li Wei still didn’t choose Smith, which had already exposed himself.

In his heart, Li Wei had chosen Mahomes.

Yet, he lacked the courage to say it in front of Smith, so he took an indirect route.

Now, looking at Smith, Li Wei’s mouth was full of bitterness.

“The cost?”

“Captain, what’s the cost?”

Li Wei asked.

“The cost is you become the bad guy, leave Kansas City bearing the name of a traitor, having just reached the pinnacle of the Super Bowl, to abandon your team for a salary, to turn your back on the team that extended a helping hand to you, to become estranged.

When you return to Kansas City in the future, you might be met with boos.”

Smith’s eyes were bright, “But they’re not wrong.”

Li Wei was taken aback.

Smith laughed cheerfully, “Rookie, it’s rare to see you at a loss for words, haha.”

Li Wei couldn’t help but give a bitter smile, now wasn’t the time for jokes, right?

Li Wei took a deep breath, “And, you just said, you have greed, you have ambition.

However, transferring to a team does not guarantee that the team will be competitive, that it can become a Super Bowl Champion contender, or even that it may experience a low point.

If you want to continue contending for the championship, staying is the right choice.”

Smith quietly looked at Li Wei, “What, you don’t have confidence in me?

You don’t believe that I can transform a team and make it a Super Bowl contender?”

Li Wei: …

“I believe building a Super Bowl Champion team isn’t that easy, it’s not just about the players, but also the general manager and the coaching staff, etc.

Just like quarterbacks and running backs, the right coach, the right tactics can bring completely different outcomes, football is not a sport that relies solely on brute force, you should know this better than I do.”

Smith was able to have a second coming with the Kansas City Chiefs, a key factor being Reed, just like Foles under Pederson.

But there is only one Reed.

Smith chuckled lightly, “You almost left me speechless, almost, but you still managed to slip away, damn.”

Li Wei’s face was incredulous.

Seeing Li Wei’s expression, Smith was in high spirits, “That’s why I like you, and why everyone on the team likes you, you’re smart but still manage to keep it real.”

So, standing at the crossroads of his career, Smith had countless friends he could talk to, but the first person who came to mind was still Li Wei.

A form of trust, and also one of admiration.

Indeed, he was right, Li Wei hadn’t let him down.

“`