Alex Smith’s time with the Washington Football Team appears to be up, after the quarterback – who was named Comeback Player of the Year in 2020 – admitted he did not think he was part of the team’s plans.
Last Updated: 01/03/21 4:32pm
Alex Smith looks set to be on his way out of Washington
Comeback Player of the Year Alex Smith and the Washington Football Team are parting ways this month, according to reports on Monday.
Smith won the award for top comeback player in 2020 after returning to the field from multiple leg surgeries.
Releasing Smith would cost Washington $8.6m of his $23.3m cap hit in 2021.
Per reports, the 36-year-old plans to continue playing in the NFL if the opportunity exists.
The former San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs QB has been at Washington since 2018
The revelation comes one week after Smith said he spoiled Washington’s plans by returning to the team last year.
“When I decided to come back, I definitely threw a wrench in the team’s plan,” Smith said in a GQ interview last month.
“They didn’t see it, didn’t want me there, didn’t want me to be a part of it, didn’t want me to be on the team, the roster, didn’t want to give me a chance.
“Mind you, it was a whole new regime, they came in, I’m like the leftovers and I’m hurt and I’m this liability. Heck no, they didn’t want me there. At that point, as you can imagine, everything I’d been through, I couldn’t have cared less about all that. Whether you like it or not, I’m giving this a go at this point.”
Smith’s 2020 salary of $16m was fully guaranteed.
He began the season as Washington’s third-string quarterback. The team turned to Kyle Allen after Dwayne Haskins was ineffective, then released, and Smith took over after Allen suffered a season-ending injury in Week 9.
Smith played in eight regular-season games, starting six, and completed 168 of 252 passes (66.7 per cent) for 1,582 yards and six touchdowns. He was unable to play in Washington’s wild-card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because of a calf injury.
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