ASHBURN, Va. – Washington football team quarterback Alex Smith decided long ago that he wanted to work hard during his recovery to see where he could take it. He returned him to initial training. Now you have one more decision to make: do you want to keep playing?
Smith said he has yet to reach any conclusions about his future, and said it will take a few weeks to clear his head and talk about his future with his wife, Elizabeth.
“I’ve had a great time this year, being back in the locker room and on the field playing a game I love and getting lost in it is one of the great sensations in the world,” Smith said. “My wife has been through a lot, my family has been through a lot, but that’s for another time and place.”
Smith was unable to play Washington’s 31-23 playoff loss to Tampa Bay on Saturday night due to a tense muscle in his right calf that he suffered on Dec. 13. After that moment, Smith played a game. He reiterated on Sunday what he had often said: his calf injury was unrelated to the 2018 broken fibula and tibia.
“It’s not the way you want to end a season,” Smith said. “Even being in this situation is something that, if it had been introduced to me a year ago, two years ago, would have jumped out at me.”
That’s because a year ago, few thought Smith would return to the roster, let alone start six games like he did this season. He said he let Washington coach Ron Rivera know he could play if needed. But Smith also said his calf limited him to the second half of Week 17’s win over Philadelphia.
Rivera said establishing 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 then meet as staff on Monday to discuss the appraisal process.
But when Smith’s future was mentioned, Rivera would simply say they would assess the situation. Still, Rivera expressed his admiration for Smith trying to get back from his calf injury, which Smith said was more than a calf injury, though he didn’t elaborate.
“He’s one of the most disinterested players I’ve ever had,” Rivera said.
Smith’s return from his 2018 injury was questioned at almost every step of the way, even by people in the organization, because they knew his story: 17 surgeries; almost amputating his right leg – and they watched ESPN’s documentary, “Project 11.”
Smith had to put pressure on Rivera this summer because he belonged to the 53-man roster and was unharmed. He was inactive for the first four games and then became the backup when Dwayne Haskins was invested and Kyle Allen was the starter. Smith became the starter after Allen broke his ankle.
Smith ended up starting six games, with Washington winning five of them. His stats weren’t fantastic: Smith recorded a total QBR of 34.7 in a league where the average was 66.4; he threw six touchdowns at eight interceptions. But the players praised his leadership and how he kept them quiet on the field.
“There’s an intangible that some guys have and possess and Alex has it,” Rivera said. “Can it be replaced? You’ll have to find a guy who has the same kind of intangibles and they’re special. They only show up from time to time. Alex has that kind of intangibles. Part of it is because his experience, the game who played and obviously what happened. “
When asked if that would complicate Smith’s decision to move on, Rivera said, “I don’t know. It’s something we’ll have to look at and talk about, of course.”
If Smith still wants to play but Washington cuts him, he would save $ 13.8 million in the salary cap. Smith has two more years left on his contract and would have $ 24.4 million in the salary cap if he stayed in Washington.
The franchise got Smith into a 2018 deal with the Kansas City bosses. Since arriving, Washington has added a combined 11-5 with him as a starter and a 6-26 with anyone else.
He called the game missing on Saturday “difficult”.
“Frustrating in the sense that I felt so good, I felt like I had come this far in the Pittsburgh game [on Dec. 7] “Lame a little and fight for it,” he said. “It’s frustrating not to keep the end of the negotiation.”
But if his last game was the Week 17 win, Smith sounded good with it.
“It was more about the attempt and the journey than the outcome,” he said. “If I had come out short trying to get back, I would have slept well at night knowing I tried it. I’m grateful you’re here right now.”
Smith’s love for playing has not diminished; but both he and Washington have to decide at what level he can still play.
“That feeling it gives you, when you’re away, you can’t find it anywhere,” he said. “It can’t be duplicated. It comes out and is missed quickly.”