Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith said his return was a “key” to the team’s plans this season and that he did not feel desired by the organization this summer.
Smith, the NFL Comeback Player of the Year, told GQ Magazine that he surprised the organization by being able to play.
“They didn’t see it, they didn’t want me there, they didn’t want me to be part of it, they didn’t want me to be on the team, on the squad, they didn’t want to give me a chance,” Smith told the magazine. “You see, it was a totally new regime, they came in; I am like leftovers and I am hurt and I am this responsibility.
“Hell, they didn’t want me there. At that point, as you can imagine, everything I went through, I couldn’t have cared less about it all. Whether you like it or not, I’m giving it a point at this point.”
Smith’s words question his desire to remain in the organization and how much frustration he still has. Washington is open to retaining Smith and stepping up his attack, but the team is also exploring other options in the quarterback because of the question of whether Smith can stay healthy for an entire season.
Smith has a maximum limit of $ 24.4 million and Washington would save $ 13.8 million if he released him.
“We are still in a situation where we have analyzed all of our options,” said coach Ron Rivera earlier this month.
Smith was not sure if he would return, but sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that he wanted to continue playing. And Smith’s own words in several interviews strongly suggest that this is the case. He and Rivera had several conversations earlier this month, although neither has talked much about them.
“I have more left,” said Smith in an interview with GQ. “I have more to get there too. So I really want to get into the flesh of this off season, see where I am and push. I want to push my body harder. I want to push my leg harder. The more I press, he responds. at some point, I’m obviously going to have to sit down with my wife and have a very real conversation, and we want to do that? She deserves a ton of information. So we’ll see. “
The team refused to respond to Smith’s comments.
On the training ground, Rivera said he was following what the doctors told him about Smith’s recovery. In addition, Washington was entering what it thought was a year of reconstruction and a 35-year-old quarterback in Smith’s situation, emerging from a broken right tibia and fibula, did not match the attempt to plan for the future. Rivera inherited a 3-13 team and wanted to see if second year quarterback Dwayne Haskins could become a long-term starter.
Washington wanted to put Smith on the reservation due to injuries before the final cuts, which would have ended his season. That week, Smith and Rivera had a long meeting, and then Smith met the next day with Rivera and offensive coordinator Scott Turner to convince them that he should be on the list.
The doubts were widespread. Smith admitted that there was a “very small group” of people who thought he could do this. Several sources at the organization said, after watching their documentary on ESPN, that they did not think a doctor would release him for contact.
Smith made camp on the list of physically unable to execute, although his personal doctors released him to return. One of these doctors, Robin West, is the chief orthopedist in Washington.
Slowly, their minds changed. Smith remained on the PUP list until August 16, while showing coaches that he was no longer injured and simply needed to test himself on the field. Still, there were sources close to him at the time who also wondered if Smith would be able to play – or at what level. The injury left him with his foot dropped, which sometimes dragged his foot. He also required special orthoses in his boots.
Gradually, Washington made him do more in training, but did not put him into full 11 versus 11 training until the end of the training camp – after he pressured the coaches to give him a chance.
“I felt like I still hadn’t received my fair treatment at that time,” Smith told GQ. “I wanted to see if I could play as a defender and football, and I feel like I haven’t had the opportunity to find that out yet. It’s like getting so close to the finish line of a marathon and they’re telling you that you can’t finish the race. It’s like , f — that. I’m finishing this. At least I’ll see if I can. So, I’m grateful that we worked on all these things, but no, it wasn’t like open arms coming back after two years. “
Smith was the third defender in the first four games, but was elevated to second place when Rivera replaced Dwayne Haskins. Smith returned to the field after Kyle Allen suffered a concussion against the Los Angeles Rams and was fired six times. Allen suffered an ankle injury at the end of the season three weeks later against the New York Giants, forcing Smith to join the starting lineup the following week against the Detroit Lions.
Washington made it 5-1 in games started by Smith. His statistics were modest – he played five touchdowns for five interceptions as a starter. There were six and eight, respectively, in general. But its impact was evident for a young team that needed guidance in the field. Smith was an almost unanimous choice as the NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
Smith suffered a bone bruise on December 13 and played just one more game, a division title win over Philadelphia at the end of the regular season. He lobbied hard to play in the wild card playoff game against Tampa Bay, but Rivera opted for Taylor Heinicke, fearing that Smith’s lack of mobility with the persistent leg problem would result in problems against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense. .
Whatever coaches thought about Smith in August, his thoughts evolved as the season progressed.
“When you see what Alex went through and just his desire and motivation to come back and the joy and emotion he feels for playing, it was very inspiring for me to see him,” Rivera said in December.
He also praised Smith’s leadership.
“There is an intangible that some guys have and have,” said Rivera. “Alex is with him. Can he be replaced? Well, you’re going to have to find a guy who has the same types of intangibles. These guys are special. They only show up once in a while.”