Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith said his comeback threw a “wrench” into the team’s plans and that he felt unwelcome by the organization last summer.
Smith, the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year, told GQ Magazine that he surprised the organization by being able to play.
“ They didn’t see it, didn’t want me there, didn’t want me to be part of it, didn’t want me to be on the team, the roster, didn’t want to give me a chance, ” Smith told the magazine. 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.
“Oh no, they didn’t want me there. At that point, as you can imagine, everything I had been through I couldn’t have cared less about it. Like it or not, I’m giving this a shot. on this point. “
Smith’s words cast doubt on his desire to stay with the organization and how much frustration he still has. Washington is open to keeping Smith and building up more of the offense, but the team is also exploring other options with the quarterback as to whether Smith can stay healthy for a full season.
Smith has a cap of $ 24.4 million, and Washington would save $ 13.8 million if it released him.
“We are still in a situation where we are looking at all of our options,” said coach Ron Rivera earlier this month.
Smith hasn’t said for sure he will return, but sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler he wanted to keep playing. And Smith’s own words in multiple interviews strongly suggest that is the case. He and Rivera had multiple conversations earlier this month, although neither of them has said much about them.
“I have more about it,” Smith said in the GQ interview. “I have more to get there too. So I really really want to get into the meat of this off season and see where I stand and push it. I want to push my body harder. I want to push my leg harder. The harder I press it, it responds. At some point, of course, I’m going to have to sit down with my wife and have a really real conversation, and do we want to do this? She deserves a lot of input. So we’ll see. “
The team declined to respond to Smith’s comments.
During training camp, Rivera said he was following what doctors told him about Smith’s recovery. Washington also embarked on a year of rebuilding, and a 35-year-old quarterback in Smith’s predicament, coming out of a fractured right shin and fibula, did not fit in with planning for the future. Rivera inherited a 3-13 team and wanted to see if sophomore quarterback Dwayne Haskins could develop into a long-term starter.
Washington wanted to put Smith on the injured reserve for the final cuts, which would have ended his season. That week, Smith and Rivera had a long meeting, then the next day Smith met Rivera and offensive coordinator Scott Turner to convince them that he should be on the roster.
Doubts were widespread. Smith admitted that there was a “very small group” of people who thought he could do this. Multiple sources in the organization said after watching his documentary on ESPN that they did not think a doctor would release him for contact.
Smith opened camp on the incapacity list, although his personal doctors had given him permission to return. One of those doctors, Robin West, is Washington’s chief orthopedist.
Slowly their thoughts changed. Smith remained on the PUP list until August 16, showing coaches he was no longer injured and just had to test himself on the field. Still, there were sources close to him at the time who also wondered if Smith could play – or to what level. His injury caused him to drop foot, which sometimes caused his foot to drag. It also required special arch supports in its cleats.
Washington gradually let him do more in workouts, but didn’t put him in 11v11 fully lined workouts until late in training camp – after pushing for coaches to give him a shot.
“I felt like I still hadn’t had my fair shake at the time,” Smith told GQ. “I wanted to see if I could play quarterback and play football, and I feel like I didn’t get that chance to figure that out. It’s like getting so close to the finish line of a marathon and they tell you. you that you can’t finish the race It’s like, f — that I’m finishing this thing At least I’m gonna see if I can do it So I’m thankful we worked through all that stuff, but no , it wasn’t like open arms came back after two years. “
Smith was the No. 3 quarterback for the first four games, but was elevated to No. 2 when Rivera put Dwayne Haskins on the bench. Smith returned to the field after Kyle Allen suffered a concussion against the Los Angeles Rams and was fired six times. Allen sustained an ankle injury three weeks later that ended the season against the New York Giants, which forced Smith into the starting line-up the following week against the Detroit Lions.
Washington went 5-1 in games started by Smith. His stats were modest – as a starter he threw five touchdowns to five interceptions. They were six and eight respectively. But his impact was evident for a young team needing guidance on the field. Smith was an almost unanimous choice as the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year.
Smith suffered a fracture on December 13 and played only one more game, beating Philadelphia in the regular season final. He lobbied hard to play in the wild card playoff game against Tampa Bay, but Rivera chose Taylor Heinicke, fearing that Smith’s lack of mobility with the lingering leg problem would result in problems vis-à-vis the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defense.
Whatever the coaches felt about Smith in August, their thoughts evolved as the season went on.
“When you see what Alex has been through and just his desire and drive to come back and the joy and thrill he gets from playing, it has been very inspiring for me to watch him,” Rivera said in December.
He also praised Smith’s leadership.
“There’s something intangible that some guys have and own,” Rivera said. Alex has it. Can it be replaced? Well, you will have to find a man who has the same types of intangible assets. Those guys are special. They only come by now and then. ‘