The Alex Smith rumor mill continues to pick up steam, potentially boosting the market and increasing the chances the 49ers can come away with something halfway decent in the deal. The Kansas City Chiefs were the first team firmly on the radar, and earlier today we learned the Arizona Cardinals are exploring the Alex Smith market. Now, the Cleveland Browns might be somewhat interested. Ian Rapoport tweeted this just a bit ago:

On Alex Smith: Cardinals will express interest in a possible trade with #49ers. They are VERY pessimistic Niners will trade within division.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 27, 2013

Speaking of Alex Smith... The Browns are said to have some interest. No surprise. Cards believe Chiefs are closing in on a trade

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 27, 2013

Over the weekend, when Jason LaCanfora tweeted that a deal was "effectively complete" (our new favorite phrase!), the Browns and Jaguars both indicated they were not the team with this deal almost in place. That removed them from most people's radars, but now that a deal might not necessarily be so close to being done, not being the team in LaCanfora's information does not meant they are not still trying to get a deal done.

This strikes me as one of the tamer circuses we've seen in some time. There is a lot swirling around, but with two weeks left until the new league year starts, things are not quite in overdrive just yet. They will continue to pick up steam as the 49ers look to continue building the market. If LaCanfora's tweet was not quite on the money, it is not surprising somebody on the 49ers side of things spread some word to potentially move the market a bit.

At some point we'll have to sort through all the potential candidates. Right now, it seems like Alex Smith's name has been connected with the Cardinals, Chiefs and Browns. The Jaguars have been on the periphery, while the Bills and Raiders are teams that are considered options in general because of QB questions. Have we seen any more rumors out there?