Quarterback Alex Smith, who won the NFL Player of the Year award in 2020 for helping the Washington Football Team win the NFC East title, is being released by the franchise, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Friday. .
Washington, who scored 7-9 in 2020, wants to upgrade as a defender in this off-season and, with Smith turning 37 in May and counting $ 24.4 million against the salary cap, a release has become inevitable.
The move will save Washington $ 14.9 million against the limit, while Smith becomes a free agent.
Smith had another two-year contract that he signed after Washington negotiated him in 2018. He made it clear to Washington that he wanted to continue playing.
But his mandate in Washington will be defined by the fracture of the right fibula and tibia that he suffered in November 2018 and later return with his first action game on October 11, 2020. In the interval, Smith underwent 17 surgeries to fight an infection and opted for for not having his leg amputated.
Washington kept him on the list in part because it was too expensive to be dismissed. But I was also not sure if he had just played. Although many doubted that he would succeed – both inside and outside the organization – several people with the franchise used to say, “If anyone can do this, Alex can”.
Still, after an ESPN documentary that aired last spring, some members of the organization wondered if a doctor would authorize Smith to play, but he passed all tests and was released. With each milestone, Smith had to prove that he could take the next step – being on the field for work 11 against 11; making the list; Playing; starting.
He did it all, and after starting quarterback Dwayne Haskins was eliminated and Kyle Allen was injured, Smith started six games in 2020. Washington made it 5-1 in those matches. During his three years there, Washington had 11-5 in the games Smith started and 6-27 with any other player as a defender.
Smith, however, told GQ Magazine that his return was a “key” in the team’s plans and that he did not feel desired by the organization last summer.
“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 was not sure if he would return for the 2021 season, but sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that he wanted to continue playing.
Smith’s value went beyond his stats last season – he played six touchdowns for eight interceptions. His soothing manner, experience and leadership were valuable to his young teammates. Washington started debutant Antonio Gibson as running back and out of his five biggest wide receivers, only one entered last season with more than 58 receptions in his career – the newsboy Dontrelle Inman. If Washington wasn’t going to have a lot of production, at least he needed someone who could run the game like Smith.
Smith suffered a bone bruise in his calf during the first half of the December 13 victory against the San Francisco 49ers, which prevented him from playing in the second half. He lost the next two games – both defeats – and fought at the end of the season in part because of the injury. Smith lobbied to play in the Washington playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he was not mobile enough for the coaches’ taste and was inactive.
Smith, the No. 1 choice in the 2005 draft for the 49ers, started 167 games in his career. His team’s record in these games is 99-67-1. He spent seven years with the 49ers, who negotiated with the Kansas City Chiefs. Smith spent five years with the Chiefs; they were 1-4 in the playoffs with him. Kansas City summoned Patrick Mahomes in the first round in 2017 and, after that season, left Smith for Washington in exchange for cornerback Kendall Fuller and a choice in the third round.
Washington recently extended quarterback Taylor Heinicke to a two-year contract with incentives worth up to $ 8.75 million. Kyle Allen is a free agent with exclusive rights and is expected to return. He also has Steven Montez, who signed off-season as an unsigned free agent.