ASHBURN, Va. – Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith decided long ago that he wanted to push hard during his recovery to see where it could take him. It brought him back to the starting lineup. Now he has to make a decision: does he want to keep playing?
Smith said he has not yet drawn any conclusions about his future, saying it will take a few weeks to clear his head and talk to his wife, Elizabeth, about his future.
“I’ve had so much fun this year, being back in the locker room and on the field playing a game that I love and losing yourself in it is one of the greatest feelings in the world,” said Smith. “My wife has been through a lot, my family has been through a lot, but that is for a different time and place.”
Smith was unable to play in Washington’s 31-23 playoff-loss to Tampa Bay on Saturday-evening due to a pulled right calf muscle on December 13. After that run, Smith played in one game. He reiterated what he had said many times on Sunday: His calf injury was unrelated to his 2018 broken fibula and shin.
“It’s not the way you want to end a season,” said Smith. “To even be in this situation is something that if I had presented it to me a year ago, two years ago, I would have jumped on it.”
That’s because a year ago, few thought Smith would come back on a roster, let alone start six games like he did this season. He said he had let Washington coach Ron Rivera know he could play if needed. But Smith also said his calf constrained him in the second half of the Week 17 win over Philadelphia.
Rivera said settling the quarterback position will be an off-season priority. He said he will meet with owner Dan Snyder to outline his vision for the future and that they will meet as staff on Monday to discuss the evaluation process.
But if Smith’s future was mentioned, Rivera simply said they would evaluate the situation. Rivera did, however, show his admiration for Smith trying to come back from his calf injury, which Smith said was more than just a calf injury, though he didn’t go any further.
“He’s one of the most selfless players I’ve ever been,” Rivera said.
Smith’s return from his injury in 2018 was questioned almost at every step, even by people in the organization, as they knew his story – 17 surgeries; almost amputation of his right leg – and they watched his ESPN documentary, “Project 11”.
Smith had to lobby Rivera this summer that he belonged on the 53-man roster and was uninjured. He was inactive for the first four games, then became the backup when Dwayne Haskins was on the bench and Kyle Allen was the starter. Smith became the starter after Allen broke his ankle.
Smith eventually started six games, of which Washington won five. His stats weren’t great: Smith posted a total QBR of 34.7 in a league where the average was 66.4; he threw six touchdowns against eight interceptions. But players praised his leadership and how he kept them calm on the pitch.
“There’s something elusive that some guys have and own and Alex has it,” Rivera said. Can it be replaced? You’ll have to find a guy who has the same kind of elusive and those guys are special. They only occur occasionally. Alex has that kind of elusive. Part of it is because of his experience, the game he played and clearly what he’s been through. “
When asked if that would complicate a decision to leave Smith, Rivera said, “I don’t know. That’s something we need to look at and talk about, that’s for sure.”
If Smith still wants to play, but Washington cuts him, it would save $ 13.8 million on the salary cap. Smith has two more years on his contract and would charge $ 24.4 million on the salary cap if he stayed with Washington.
Smith acquired the franchise in 2018 in a transaction with the Kansas City Chiefs. Since he arrived, Washington went a combined 11-5 with him as starter and 6-26 with someone else.
He called missing Saturday’s game ‘very difficult’.
“Frustrating in the sense that I felt so good, I felt like I had come this far through the Pittsburgh game [on Dec. 7] to limp a bit and fight through this, “he said.” That’s frustrating when you don’t stick to your side of the bargain. ‘
But if his last game was victory in Week 17, Smith sounded good with that.
“It was more about the attempt and the journey than the outcome,” he said. ‘If I had come too short to come back, I would have slept fine at night knowing I was trying. I am grateful to be here now. ‘
Smith’s love of play hasn’t waned; but both he and Washington have to decide what level he can play at.
“It gives you that feeling, if you’re not there, you can’t find it anywhere,” he said. ‘You can’t duplicate it. You get away from it and you miss it quickly. ‘