The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Monday that the club has signed wide receiver Dwayne Bowe.

“When we first arrived, one of the first items on our agenda was signing Dwayne,” General Manager John Dorsey said. “He’s been a key player on our offense and is one of the premier players at his position. We are pleased that Dwayne will be a member of this team for years to come.”

“We’re excited to have Dwayne on the roster for the long term,” Head Coach Andy Reid said. “Dwayne’s a big, physical receiver who has had success in this league. He is part of the Chiefs family, and it was important to him to remain in Kansas City. I’m looking forward to working with Dwayne.”

“I’m very blessed to be a member of the Kansas City Chiefs,” said Bowe. “The Hunt family and the fan base have been very supportive over the years, and I am looking forward to working with John and Coach Reid in the near future. I’m excited to continue my career with the Chiefs and hopefully help this team reach our goals.”

Bowe (6-2, 221) has played in 88 games (82 starts) in six seasons (2007-12) with Kansas City. His career numbers include 415 receptions for 5,728 yards (13.8 avg.) with 39 touchdowns. Bowe’s most productive season statistically came in 2010 when he caught 72 passes for 1,162 yards (16.1 avg.) with 15 touchdowns, earning his first trip to the Pro Bowl. Last season, he tallied 801 yards on 59 catches (13.6 avg.) with three touchdowns before being placed on injured reserve for the final three weeks of the regular season. Bowe has led the Chiefs in receptions and receiving yards in each of the past four seasons.

The Miami, Fla., native originally entered the NFL as Kansas City’s first-round selection (23rd overall) in the 2007 NFL Draft. He earned first-team All-SEC honors at LSU, where he caught 154 passes for 2,403 yards (15.6 avg.) and a school-record 26 touchdowns. He prepped at Norland Senior High School in Miami, Fla.

— Chiefs Media Relations —

The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Monday that the club has placed the franchise tag on tackle Branden Albert.

“Today was the league’s deadline to designate a franchise player and we felt it was in the best interest of the Kansas City Chiefs to place the tag on Branden,” General Manager John Dorsey said. “We will continue to negotiate with Branden and his agent to reach a deal that is mutually beneficial. We are looking forward to working with Branden in the near future.”

Albert (6-5, 316) has played in 73 games (71 starts) in five seasons with the Chiefs. He’s helped pave the way for Chiefs running backs, including Jamaal Charles, who has recorded three 1,000-yard rushing seasons behind Albert and company. In 2012, the Chiefs racked up 2,395 yards on the ground, the fifth-highest rushing output in club annals. Since Albert’s arrival in 2008, the club has averaged 133.2 rushing yards per contest.

The Glen Burnie, Md., native originally entered the NFL as Kansas City’s second of two first-round picks (15th overall) in the 2008 NFL Draft. He was an All-ACC selection at Virginia where he started as a true freshman. He was a two-way standout player at Glen Burnie High School in Glen Burnie, Md.

— Chiefs Media Relations —

The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Monday that the club has signed punter Dustin Colquitt.

“We are excited that we were able to come to a long-term agreement with Dustin and keep him in Kansas City,” General Manager John Dorsey said. “Dustin is an elite punter in this league, he’s done a great job for this franchise the past eight seasons, and we are looking forward to working with him.”

“John and I knew right away that we’d like to keep Dustin in a Chiefs uniform,” Head Coach Andy Reid said. “He’s worked hard at his craft and has become one of the best punters in the NFL. He’s got a strong leg and the ability to pin opponents deep in their own territory. We are happy we were able to come to an agreement.”

Colquitt (6-3, 210) has played in 126 games in eight seasons with the Chiefs. His career numbers include 657 punts for 29,381 yards (44.7 avg.) with 55 touchbacks and 250 inside the 20. He holds a career net average of 39.1 yards and a long of 81 yards.

In 2012, Colquitt earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl after his best statistical season in the NFL. He punted 83 times for 3,887 yards (46.8 avg.) with seven touchbacks and a long of 71 yards. He pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard line 45 times, the second-best mark in NFL history. Colquitt holds many Chiefs records for punting including highest career average (44.7), highest net average (39.1) and most career punts inside the 20 (250).

The Knoxville, Tenn., native originally entered the NFL as Kansas City’s third-round draft pick (99th overall) in the 2005 NFL Draft. He was an All-SEC selection at Tennessee and prepped at Bearden High School in Knoxville, Tenn.

— Chiefs Media Relations —

Alex Smith quietly stayed behind the scenes after losing his job and watched from the sideline as San Francisco returned to the Super Bowl for the first time in 18 years. Yet the No. 1 overall draft pick from 2005 did make one thing known: The veteran quarterback still considers himself a starter.

And he hoped to get that chance again. Now, he appears to have it.

The Kansas City Chiefs have agreed to acquire Smith from the 49ers in the first major acquisition since Andy Reid took over as the team’s new coach in early January, a person with knowledge of the trade told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal cannot become official until March 12, when the NFL’s new business year begins. Another person familiar with the swap said the 49ers will get a second-round pick in April’s draft, No. 34 overall, and a conditional pick in the 2014 draft.

After spending his first eight up-and-down years with the 49ers, Smith will get a welcome new start. The Chiefs will get the proven play-caller they hope can help turn things around under a new coach much the way Smith did under Jim Harbaugh in San Francisco.

“You never know when your opportunity’s going to come,” Smith said late in the season. “The good ones are ready when they do come.”

The Chiefs have gone this route before, acquiring Joe Montana from the 49ers nearly 20 years ago, in April 1993, after he won four Super Bowls but gave way to Steve Young — San Francisco’s quarterback of the future.

Not so different from Smith’s situation last season behind second-year QB Colin Kaepernick.

Moving Smith was hardly unexpected. He realized it once Kaepernick emerged as a capable starter over the season’s final two months, and Smith all but said goodbye with his first pro team when he played briefly in the regular-season finale against Arizona to cheers of “Let’s Go, Alex!” and “Alex! Alex!” from the Candlestick Park crowd.

With Smith now headed for Kansas City, Matt Cassel is likely headed out of town. And Reid will enter his first draft as Chiefs coach in April no longer needing to search for a quarterback.

The Chiefs’ problems at quarterback are the single biggest reason they went 2-14 last season and secured the No. 1 pick in the draft for the first time in franchise history.

It’s been a long-running problem for a franchise that has tried Steve Bono and Elvis Grbac (two more one-time 49ers), and more recently Damon Huard, Tyler Thigpen and Tyler Palko at quarterback. And then there’s Cassel.

He was acquired by recently fired general manager Scott Pioli, and has two years left on a $63 million, six-year deal. He will likely be cut once Smith is acquired.

Cassel was benched last season in favor of Brady Quinn, who also is a free agent after going 1-7 as the starter.

If Smith can bring the steady form that defined his last two years, the Chiefs might be able to establish a much-needed consistency under center. They also found themselves a team-first player who led the 49ers through workouts during the 2011 lockout.

Under the three-year contract he signed last March, Smith is guaranteed $8.5 million in base salary for the 2013 season.

Smith thrived under 49ers coach and former NFL quarterback Harbaugh in one-plus season as the starter. Then, just like that, it all changed after he sustained a concussion.

Last week at the NFL combine, Harbaugh praised Smith and reiterated just how strong San Francisco was with Colin Kaepernick as the starter and someone with Smith’s credentials at backup.

Yet everyone knew it was likely the 49ers would do their best to improve Smith’s situation considering all he did for the franchise for nearly the past decade.

“Alex is really playing the best football of his career the last two years,” Harbaugh said. “We think we got the best quarterback situation in the National Football League, feel strongly about that. Again, that’ll be a process that plays out. Alex Smith continuing to be a 49er or if a trade occurs in the next weeks or months. Those are the two possibilities, most likely possibilities.”

Smith acknowledged when he lost the job to Kaepernick back in November that he had done nothing wrong but get hurt. Not only had he completed 26 of his previous 28 passes — 18 of 19 for 232 yards and three touchdowns without an interception and a 157.1 passer rating in a Monday Night Football win at Arizona on Oct. 29 — Smith had just earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors after that victory in the desert.

He then sustained a concussion in the second quarter of a 24-24 tie against St. Louis on Nov. 11 — saying later he threw a touchdown pass with blurry vision. Smith sat out the next game as Kaepernick dazzled in his debut as an NFL starter, beating the Bears handily at home on Monday Night Football.

After that, Harbaugh vowed to stick with the “hot hand,” as he regularly put it, while complicating matters by still referring to Smith as a starter.

Smith’s most poignant response to the situation was, “I feel like the only thing I did to lose my job was get a concussion.”

Kaepernick led the 49ers to the NFC championship and a 34-31 loss to Baltimore in the Super Bowl in his second season. Now the 49ers are looking for his backup.

The 28-year-old Smith struggled for most of his career in San Francisco, plagued as much by coaching and constant coordinator changes as by his own indecisiveness. But when Harbaugh became coach in January 2011, Smith blossomed under the former QB’s guidance. He was among the league leaders in passer rating (104.1) with a 70.2 completion percentage when he got hurt last season.

Fox Sports first reported the deal Wednesday.

— Associated Press —