The team will free up space below the salary cap by releasing a quarterback, who won the Return of the Year award in 2020
The quarterback Alex Smith, Who won the la Player of the Year in 2020 after helping Washington to win the NFC East title, was released by the franchise this Friday, sources told Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Washington, Who finished with seven wins and nine losses in the 2020 season, was looking for a new quarterback as Smith he will turn 37 in May, also impacted with $ 24,400,000 in the salary cap, so letting him go was inevitable.
This measure would save in the box of Washington up to $ 14,900,000 in the salary cap i Smith will become a free agent. The quarterback still had a two-year contract after signing with the franchise in 2018 and on more than one occasion made clear his desire to continue playing.
However, his stay in the team was defined by the fracture of the tibia and fibula that he suffered in November 2018 and that led him to play again until October 11, 2020. . Smith she underwent 17 surgeries to fight an infection, the same one that put her leg at risk of being amputated.
Washington he kept it in his staff because it was very expensive to get rid of it; but they were unclear if he would play again. Many doubted he could get ahead, but many within the organization have been confident that “if anyone could do it, it was Alex.”
Still, after a documentary by ESPN last year, some members of the organization questioned whether a doctor would let the experienced quarterback play, but the athlete passed all the tests and was discharged. The challenge was the next level, which was to train with the team and replicate the plays on the field.
Smith did everything though, after Dwayne Haskins Jr. out on the bench and Kyle Allen got injured, Smith started six games in the 2020 season. Washington he left with five wins and one loss in that span. In the last three years, the team had been 11-5 with Smith as a starter and 6-27 when another quarterback started.
For his part, the quarterback told GQ magazine that his return was something the organization did not expect and did not feel required by the franchise the previous summer.
“They don’t see me, they don’t want me here, they don’t want me to be a part of them, they don’t want me within the team, of the squad, they don’t want to give me a chance,” he said Smith. “I’m like the envelopes and I’m hurt. At this point, as you can imagine, I’ve been through everything. I can’t believe they care so little.”
although Smith has not said he plans to play for 2021, sources have confirmed to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN that your desire if it is to play once again.
The value of Smith he went beyond his stats last season: he threw six touchdowns for eight interceptions. His calm demeanor, experience and leadership proved invaluable to his teammates. Washington debuting rookie Antonio Gibson as a runner, and of his top five open receivers, only one finished last season with more than 58 receptions; the receiver Dontrelle Inman. Yes Washington it wasn’t going to have much production, at least it needed someone who could handle the game like Smith.
Smith he suffered a bruise on his calf during the first half of the Dec. 13 win over the San Francisco 49ers, which prevented him from playing the rest of the game. He missed the next two games, both losses, and had problems at the end of the season apart due to injury. Smith pressed to play in the playoff game of Washington against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he didn’t move enough for the coaches ’liking and was inactive.
Smith, The first overall draft pick in 2005 with the 49ers, has 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 traded him to the Kansas City Chiefs. Smith he spent five years with the Chiefs; who had a 1-4 mark in the playoffs with him. Kansas City selected Patrick Mahomes in the first round of the draft in 2017 and, after that season, the team changed to Smith a Washington in exchange for cornerback Kendall Fuller and a third-round pick.
Washington he gave a two-year contract extension to quarterback Taylor Heinicke with $ 8,750,000 incentives. Kyle Allen is a free agent and they are waiting for him to return. While Steven Montez, signed last preseason as a free agent.