Alex Smith is no longer a Washington Football Team player. The veteran quarterback has been released by the Washington franchise and will now look for a new organization to join.
The Comeback Player of the Year suffered a gruesome injury in 2018 and had to go through 17 operations to save his leg. Despite that, he made a miraculous recovery and starred in his team’s successful run to the playoffs, the first one since 2015.
However, as Alex Smith recently revealed, his return might have thrown a wrench in Washington’s plans as they didn’t seem to think that he would be able to compete once again and were reportedly planning a future without him when he came back. It is now evident that the 36-year old was probably right.
Coach Rivera Wishes Smith the All Best
Washington’s head coach Ron Rivera said that he had an honest discussion with Alex Smith this week. They reflected on the 2020 season, and as the coach said, decided that it would be best for both parties if they went their separate ways.
He thanked the quarterback for his contributions and said that he made an impact on Washington’s young players. Coach Rivera added that Smith’s leadership was crucial in the franchise making the playoffs, the first in their last five tries.
The head coach concluded his statement by saying that everyone in Washington wished Alex and his family the best for the future and appreciated everything he did for the Washington-based organization.
Plagued by Injuries
Smith missed the entire 2019 season because of the horrific leg injury he sustained in 2018. He returned in 2020when nobody expected him to do so and had a 5-1 record in the games he started.
He was instrumental in guiding Ron Rivera’s team to the playoffs but unfortunately didn’t play in it. He missed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game because of injury and that’s probably another thing that the people in Washington had in mind when they decided to release the veteran quarterback.
So what’s next for Alex Smith?
Many people think that he will likely end up reunited with Matt Nagy in Chicago. There are also a couple of other organizations that could look for an Alex Smith type of player. However, it’s still early to say with any accuracy where the quarterback will play next season.
And playing is definitely something that Alex Smith plans to keep on doing, at least for several more years if his recent interviews are anything to go by.
However, wherever Smith decides to go to play next, chances are he will have to settle for the role of a backup quarterback. He is a quarterback that doesn’t move a lot and relies on releasing the ball as quickly as he gets it. That’s not ideal and has become more of a problem recently due to his age and injury proneness.
However, that doesn’t mean that there won’t be any takers for the veteran quarterback. He might be the ideal player for a franchise looking for a bridge signing that will tutor younger players and mentor rookies. And there are quite a lot of those that are scanning the market right now.
What’s next for Washington?
And where does this parting of ways leave Washington? Well, the franchise will probably tell you that they released Alex Smith because of fears over injuries. And that is true. However, they also had the financial implications of Smith staying on in mind when they decided to release the quarterback.
Smith leaving Washington saves the organization $14.7 million on the salary cap, which will go down this year, and that’s arguably more of a factor than Smith’s injury record.
Smith leaving also means that Washington Football Team is now down to only two quarterbacks: Taylor Heinicke and Steven Montez. Heinicke had an excellent showing in his playoff appearance and we will likely see him more often in Washington’s offense now that Smith has left.
Whether he will be able to guide Washington to another playoff appearance like his predecessor did is something that we will have to wait for to see.
