Washington football team quarterback Alex Smith said his return threw a “key” into the team’s plans this season and that the organization didn’t feel desired this summer.
Smith, the NFL 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 part of the team, the list didn’t want to give me any chance,” Smith told the magazine. “Keep in mind that it was a completely new regime, they came in; I’m like the wreckage, I’m hurt and I’m that responsible.
“Heck no, they didn’t want me there. Right now, as you can imagine, everything I had experienced, I couldn’t have cared less about all of this. Whether you want to or not, I’m giving you this is a test in this moment “.
Smith’s words question his desire to stay with the organization and the frustration he still retains. Washington is open to retaining Smith and increasing his offense, but the team is also exploring other options for the quarterback due to the question of whether Smith can stay healthy for an entire season.
Smith has a $ 24.4 million cap and Washington would save $ 13.8 million if he released it.
“We’re still in a situation where we’re examining all of our options,” coach Ron Rivera said earlier this month.
Smith has not said for sure that he will return, but sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that he wanted to continue playing. And Smith’s words in several interviews strongly suggest that this is so. He and Rivera had several conversations earlier in the month, although neither has said much about them.
“I have more left,” Smith said in the GQ interview. “I also have more things to get there. So I really want to get into the flesh this low season, see where I am and push it. I want to push my body harder. I want to push my leg stronger. The stronger it is. “At some point, obviously, I’m going to have to sit down with my wife and have a very real conversation, and we want to do that? She deserves a lot of input. See me.”
The team declined to respond to Smith’s comments.
At training camp, Rivera said he was following what doctors told him about Smith’s recovery. Also, Washington was getting into what he thought would be a year of rebuilding and a 35-year-old quarterback in Smith’s situation, coming off a broken tibia and right fibula, didn’t fit in with trying to plan for the future. Rivera inherited a 3-13 team and wanted to see if sophomore quarterback Dwayne Haskins could become a long-term starter.
Washington wanted to place Smith on the injured reserve 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 he should be on the list.
Doubts were widespread. Smith admitted that there was a “very small group” of people who thought they could do this. Several sources in the organization said after watching their documentary on ESPN that they did not think a doctor would clarify it for their contact.
Smith opened the camp on the list of people physically unable to act, even though his personal doctors had authorized him to return. One of these doctors, Robin West, is Washington’s leading orthopedist.
Slowly, his thoughts changed. Smith remained on the PUP list until August 16, as he showed coaches that he was no longer injured and simply needed to be tested on the field. However, at the time there were sources close to him who were also wondering if Smith would be able to play, or to what extent. His injury left him with his foot down, which sometimes makes him drag his foot. He also required special orthoses on his heels.
Gradually, Washington made him do more in practice, but didn’t put him in 11-11 exercises until the end of the training camp, after pressuring the coaches to give him a chance.
“I felt like I hadn’t had my shock yet,” Smith told GQ. “I wanted to see if I could play quarterback and play football, and I feel like they hadn’t given me that opportunity yet to find out. It’s like getting 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 we worked all this out, but no, it wasn’t like the open arms came back to the after two years “.
Smith was the No. 3 quarterback in the first four games, but was elevated to No. 2 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 squad the following week against the Detroit Lions.
Washington was 5-1 in games started by Smith. His stats were modest: he threw five touchdowns to five interceptions as a starter. They were six and eight, respectively, overall. But its impact was evident for a young team that needed guidance on the ground. Smith was an almost unanimous pick as NFL Player of the Year.
Smith suffered a bone contusion on Dec. 13 and only played one more game, a division title win against Philadelphia at the end of the regular season. He pressed hard to play in the wildcard 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 trouble against the Tampa Buccaneers’ defense. Bay.
Whatever coaches felt about Smith in August, his thoughts evolved as the season unfolded.
“When you see what Alex has experienced and just his desire and drive to come back, the joy and excitement he has to play, it has been very inspiring for him to see it,” Rivera said in December.
He also praised Smith’s leadership.
“There’s an intangible that some guys have and possess,” Rivera said. “Alex has it. Can he be replaced? Well, you’ll have to find a guy who has the same types of immaterials. These guys are special. They only show up from time to time.”