Aaron Rodgers says 49ers' Alex Smith needs to 'go somewhere he's appreciated'

Alex Smith began this season as the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, but has since been benched in favor of Colin Kaepernick. That doesn't seem to sit well with Green Bay Packers signal caller Aaron Rodgers, who came into the league with Smith in 2005.

Rodgers spoke with NFL Network about the quarterback situation in San Francisco on Monday, and apparently Smith has been on his mind:

"He comes in, he's 70 percent completion, he's 100-plus quarterback rating last year, he's like barely over one percent interception percentage," Rodgers went on. "He's a great quarterback, he just needs to go somewhere he gets appreciated for the skills he has and hopefully he gets a chance next year."

Smith was having a career year before losing his job to the younger, more athletic Kaepernick. As Rodgers mentioned, he completed 70 percent of his passes for 1,731 yards, 13 touchdowns, and a 104.1 quarterback rating.

Kaepernick has added an extra dimension to the Niners' offense with his speed and superior running ability, picking up 379 yards and five scores on the ground. He also has averaged more yards per pass attempt (8.37 to 7.98) with just a slightly lower rating of 101.3.