Alex Smith was the first overall pick of the San Francisco 49ers in the 2005 NFL Draft.
By 2010, it looked like Smith was yet another first-round quarterback bust.
Several injuries, a lack of consistent offensive talent, and a vicious cycle of offensive coordinators, nearly spelled his doom.
Thankfully, San Francisco hired Jim Harbaugh before the 2011 season and the team, and Smith, vastly improved.
Alex Smith #FTTB pic.twitter.com/mIvkJtvhVZ
— Niners History (@NinersHistory) June 23, 2024
Then, just when it looked like Smith would lead the next Niners dynasty, another injury, and the emergence of a young quarterback, led to a trade to Kansas City.
A change of scenery proved beneficial.
Smith passed for 3,000 or more yards each year in five seasons with the Chiefs.
Once again, he was jettisoned for another young signal-caller and found himself in Washington in 2018.
During his first year with the club, a horrific injury nearly ended his career and his life.
Instead, Smith overcame long odds to return to the field in 2020 before retiring a year later.
This is the incredible story of Alex Smith.
Smith and Bush Lead Helix High
Alexander Douglas Smith was born on May 7, 1984, in Bremerton, Washington.
The family relocated to La Mesa, California when Alex’s father, Douglas, took a job as an executive director at Helix High School, a charter school.
Years later, Alex would attend Helix as a student and suited up for the Scotties’ football team.
Before his junior year, Smith became the program’s starting quarterback.
Lining up behind Smith in the Scotties’ backfield was Reggie Bush.
Throwback to Helix High School circa 2000 when Alex Smith, Reggie Bush and former BYU great Todd Watkins dominated on the gridiron together.#BYU #Utah #USC pic.twitter.com/LuaF5O5G7M
— Benjamin Criddle (@CriddleBenjamin) November 27, 2021
Bush was a spectacular talent who was fast as lightning and gobbled up yardage like Pac-Man.
“I was slower, but I wouldn’t say I was super, super slow,” Smith said [in comparison to Bush]. “I wasn’t as fast as him. I was a late bloomer. I had big feet. I wasn’t quick-footed definitely. But it sure helped having him in the backfield I’ll tell you that.”
With Smith and Bush leading the way, Helix rarely lost.
In fact, in two seasons as the starter, Smith and company went 25-1 and won two San Diego CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) championships.
“To achieve that as a group — a bunch of guys playing for each other — to go out and experience that and come out with a win, it was really, really special. I’ll never forget the sacrifice you put in with that group of guys. It was really, really special,” Smith said in 2020.
Smith Picks Utah
Smith may not have had the speed that Bush did, but his intelligence and competitive mindset led to two Offensive Player of the Year nods and a program record of six touchdown passes in a single game.
Despite being a big man on campus, Smith stayed humble and was Helix’s senior class president and did well in his studies.
Even those accomplishments didn’t exactly bring in a throng of Division I college coaches.
By the spring of Smith’s senior year, he had exactly two major college programs interested in him.
One was Louisville, coached at the time by his uncle, John L. Smith, and the University of Utah.
Utah Utes (2003/2004)
Urban Meyer & Alex Smith
All-22 Cutups: (vs. Air Force)
— Last of the Fullbacks (@TheLastFullback) January 11, 2024
Smith chose to attend Utah and play for then-head coach Ron McBride in 2002.
During his freshman year, the Utes went 5-6 and Smith had four pass attempts that went for four yards and one interception.
Utah Becomes a Force
Following the 2002 season, McBride was replaced by former Bowling Green head coach, Urban Meyer.
The new coach was a proponent of the spread offense and wanted his quarterbacks to throw the ball as often as possible.
Smith began the year on the bench behind Brett Elliott and the Utes started 2003 with a 40-20 beatdown of local rival Utah State.
Then, one week later against Texas A&M, Elliott went down with a broken wrist and Smith entered the fray.
He would never relinquish the starting job.
Utah legend.
Drop your favorite Alex Smith memories down below ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/QX7YNemXWN
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) January 8, 2024
In his first start on September 11 against Cal, Smith got the better of Golden Bears quarterback Aaron Rodgers in a 31-24 victory.
“That was the first sellout at Rice-Eccles, but we gave away 20,000 tickets just to get people in that stadium,” Meyer said. “I remember thinking, ‘This is a gamble. If we stink, they’ll never come back.’”
On October 3 versus the Oregon Ducks and quarterback Kellen Clemens, Smith passed for 340 yards in a 17-13 win.
Utah was 4-1 and starting to turn heads nationally.
The Utes lost for the second time to New Mexico on October 25, but that was the final slip-up.
At the end of the 2003 season, Utah was 10-2 and victorious in the Liberty Bowl against Southern Miss in a 17-0 win.
Smith ended his sophomore year with 2,247 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and three picks.
He was active on the ground as well, adding 452 yards and five touchdowns, and was selected as an All-Mountain West member.
Meyer and Smith Lead Utah to Unprecedented Heights
After reaching 10 wins in 2003, even more was expected of Utah in 2004.
For their part, Smith and Meyer didn’t let the locals down.
The nation took notice of the Utes after Smith led his teammates to a 41-21 win against Texas A&M in the first game of the year.
Smith and Meyer kept their foot on the gas and continued pounding opponents throughout the season.
Alex Smith helped Utah achieve a 21-1 record in his two years as a starter. Now, Smith heads to the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame.
Smith will be inducted on Dec. 10, 2024.
Learn how to join us at: https://t.co/cvpPzKfCO8#GoUtes @Utah_Football l @Big12Conference pic.twitter.com/GN2q7xPmIC
— National Football Foundation (@NFFNetwork) July 1, 2024
As the wins piled up, more college coaches and high school recruits started paying attention to the offense Meyer ran and that Smith led with perfection.
“I think that 2004 Utah team changed college football,” said Florida coach Dan Mullen in 2021, who was Smith’s quarterback coach. “Alex was a major part of that.”
The Utes wrapped the 2004 regular season undefeated, then hammered 19th-ranked Pitt in the Fiesta Bowl, 35-7.
That gave the school its first-ever 12-win season.
Smith was the contest’s MVP after shredding the Panthers with 328 yards and four touchdowns (a Utah bowl record).
During his junior year, Smith passed for 2,952 yards, 32 touchdowns, and four interceptions.
He also added 631 yards and 10 scores on the ground.
Smith’s 2004 touchdown passes and total touchdown marks set school records, just a few of the many records he broke.
“He was the first great spread quarterback,” Meyer told Yahoo Sports in 2021. “Or at least one of the first ones.”
The quarterback finished fourth in the Heisman balloting (Reggie Bush, Smith’s former Helix teammate, finished fifth), becoming the first Heisman finalist in Utes history.
Smith was selected as a first-team All-American, first-team All-Mountain West, MWC Offensive Player of the Year, and The Sporting News and Sports Illustrated’s Player of the Year (also program firsts).
He remained motivated in the classroom and was a first-team Academic All-American and a two-time Academic MWC selection.
The first @Utah_Football “Ring of Honor” inductee, Alex Smith. pic.twitter.com/EqHmiRmHZX
— Andrea Urban (@AndreaUrbanTV) August 30, 2024
In 2024, Smith was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and was also selected as the Utes first Ring of Honor inductee.
Smith Declares for the 2005 NFL Draft
During his short college career, Smith passed for 5,203 yards, 47 touchdowns and eight picks and had 1,072 yards and 15 scores rushing.
He could have returned for his senior year, but he had already accomplished a lot in only two years.
Plus, there was the fact that Meyer decided to leave Utah to become the new head coach of the Florida Gators.
That led the quarterback to announce that he would be entering the 2005 NFL Draft.
Several NFL teams met with Smith over the next few months with the San Francisco 49ers showing significant interest.
After reaching the playoffs in 2002, the Niners suddenly nose-dived to seven wins in 2003 then a paltry two wins in 2004, leading to the top spot in the upcoming draft
New San Francisco head coach Mike Nolan needed a new QB who could handle his offense and be a good team leader.
The Niners Choose Smith Over Rodgers
Without thinking twice, Nolan and the Niners made Smith the number one pick in the draft.
Here is Mel Kiper Jr. breaking down the selection of Alex Smith in the 2005 NFL Draft: pic.twitter.com/AhuCnMYqVx
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) March 29, 2021
That made Smith the first ever Utes player to be taken number one overall in the NFL Draft.
“I had a good feeling about it,” Smith acknowledged. “I’ve always had a good feeling with Coach Nolan. I feel like I really mesh with him, but I wasn’t going to make assumptions. I feel that it’s wrong to go into (draft) day expecting anything.”
Nolan was excited to get Smith on the field and put him to work turning around the Niners franchise.
“We felt that Alex was the one that most fit what we want our team to look like,” Nolan said. “He brings discipline, competitiveness and intelligence to the table. He is off the charts in all three areas.”
Meanwhile, Smith’s adversary from his first collegiate start, Aaron Rodgers, fell to the 24th spot in the draft before being snagged by Green Bay.
2005 NFL Draft 1st round:
No. 1 – Alex Smith
No. 24 – Aaron RodgersTonight, they face off on @ESPNMondayNight. pic.twitter.com/fcretKUrki
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 28, 2015
Rodgers had always wanted to play for San Fran, but rumor had it that Nolan didn’t like Rodgers’ strong personality.
Some NFL scouts also didn’t think Rodgers was half the quarterback Smith was.
“I just think Aaron’s the product of being on a good team. … I see Utah winning because of Alex Smith. He’s the one that does it. I don’t think Cal was winning because of Aaron Rodgers. He contributes to it, but I don’t think he’s the team,” said an anonymous NFC scout.
Bumpy Road Ahead
Smith started nine times during his rookie year, but it was an incredibly frustrating season.
Not only did Nolan pull Smith in and out of the lineup often, the Niners didn’t have much offensive firepower.
Running back Frank Gore was himself a rookie that year, but he wasn’t quite ready to be the primary back.
As far as the receiving core, the only known name was Johnnie Morton, who was playing in the final year of his career.
The lack of throwing targets, and his steep learning curve as an NFL quarterback, was displayed in Smith’s final stats of one touchdown and 11 interceptions.
San Francisco ended 2005 with a 4-12 record.
Alex Smith #FTTB pic.twitter.com/1EOvOfHdTd
— Niners History (@NinersHistory) January 11, 2024
In the 2006 NFL Draft, the Niners took Maryland tight end Vernon Davis in the first round, then made Gore its primary running back.
Smith significantly improved by starting all 16 games and passing for 2,890 yards, 16 touchdowns, 16 picks, and winning a couple of key games.
After the Niners won seven games in 2006, the team hoped to get closer to the playoffs in 2007.
However, Smith hurt his shoulder in a Week 4 game against Seattle.
He missed a few games, then tried to return only to be further limited by the injury.
With a month to go in the season, Nolan placed Smith on the injured reserve list, ending the quarterback’s season.
When the 2008 season arrived, Smith’s shoulder had still not healed enough to play.
San Francisco re-signed him with a significant pay cut, though Smith would be sidelined for the entire season.
Bust?
Smith’s shoulder finally healed to the point where he was ready to play in 2009.
During the middle of the 2008 season, Nolan had been fired and replaced by Mike Singletary, the former Chicago Bears great and Niners linebackers coach.
The organization decided to remove Singletary’s interim label and hire him as the head coach in ‘09.
Singletary then had a quarterback competition for the starter’s role and veteran Shaun Hill beat out Smith.
Later in the year, Smith regained the starting nod and finished with a respectable 2,350 yards, 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Alex Smith #FTTB pic.twitter.com/Ka32oTxAlc
— Niners History (@NinersHistory) August 18, 2024
In 2010, Smith was inconsistent, and the frustration from Niners fans led to a chorus of boos during home games.
With one contest remaining in the season, Singletary was fired and Jim Tomsula coached the game as the interim.
Smith ended the year with 2,370 yards, 14 touchdowns and 10 picks.
Harbaugh Arrives
Instead of keeping Tomsula in 2011, the Niners hired former Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh to lead the team.
Harbaugh had played quarterback in the NFL for 15 years and one of his first orders of business was to spend time with Smith.
From my old show on The Ringer.
Alex Smith and I sharing Jim Harbaugh stories. Everybody has one. pic.twitter.com/5QV7h40asJ
— Kyle Brandt (@KyleBrandt) January 30, 2024
By then, Smith was ready to leave San Francisco for much greener pastures.
Not only had his play been inconsistent as a first-round QB, but he had a new offensive coordinator nearly every season.
The frustrations had taken their toll.
“Everybody who knew him was trying to get him to move on,” his mother, Pam, said in 2012. “When we talked to him, it was, ‘Alex, you’ve given it your all here. You can move on with your head held high.'”
Harbaugh wanted him to stay and tried his best to tell Smith’s parents that he was still wanted as a Niner.
“I told his dad, ‘I really want Alex here. This could be his fresh start,'” Harbaugh said. “That was met with crickets. You could hear the chirping on the other end of the phone.” Harbaugh laughed before adding: “I felt for them, I really did. I totally understood that this would maybe be the last place they would want their son.”
Smith listened to the sales pitch and was convinced to stay, signing a one-year deal for $5 million.
Jim Harbaugh on former #49ers QB Alex Smith: "He'll be a life-long friend."
WATCH: http://t.co/3rYmMTPHMz pic.twitter.com/vIofxnhkQX
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) September 30, 2014
With Harbaugh at the helm of the ship, San Francisco improved quickly, finishing the regular season with 13 wins.
Smith had struggles here and there and was booed at times by the home crowd.
His work with Harbaugh paid off, however, and Smith ended the season with 3,144 yards, 17 touchdowns and a paltry five interceptions (a team record), leading to an NFL-best 1.1 interception percentage.
Showdown with the Saints
Up next was a showdown in the divisional round with the 13-3 New Orleans Saints.
The Saints and quarterback Drew Brees had won the Super Bowl two years before and were looking to return.
A 14-0 lead by San Fran in the first quarter led to a 17-14 Niners lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Niners extended their lead to 20-14.
Then, all heck broke loose in the fourth.
Saints running back Darren Sproles took a pass 44 yards to the house mid-way through the quarter to give New Orleans its first lead, 24-23.
Smith answered with a touchdown run to retake the lead.
Brees found tight end Jimmy Graham to go on top, 32-29, with just over a minute to play.
Then, with Niners fans holding their breath, Smith found Vernon Davis for a 14-yard pass to win the contest, 36-32.
Happy birthday to Alex Smith!
Here are highlights of his best game ever with the #49ers.
He threw 3 TDs and ran for one against the Saints in his playoff debut.
Enjoy retirement! #Random49ers #TheCatchIIIpic.twitter.com/j6XeaOgEg7
— #Random49ers (@Random49ers) May 7, 2022
The entire stadium erupted with sheer joy.
“He deserved to win,” said offensive coordinator, Greg Roman. “When I met with [Smith] after being hired, you could see how badly he wanted it. He had been through so much here but didn’t want to turn and run. He wanted to stay and fight. It said so much about him that I told myself, I want to help make him successful.”
Long after he left the Bay Area, Smith still called that game his favorite as a member of the 49ers.
“I can’t get the image of Candlestick [Park, where San Francisco previously played] at the end of that game, certainly the back and forth in the fourth quarter. I’ve never heard a place so loud that it did kind of come to life,” Smith said in 2024.
A Bittersweet Super Bowl Appearance
After the huge win against New Orleans, the Niners’ 2011 season ended at the hands of the New York Giants in overtime of the NFC Championship game, 20-17.
Before the 2012 season, former Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning was released by the Colts and he had an interest in signing with the Niners.
Smith, in turn, visited with the Miami Dolphins in case Manning chose San Francisco.
When Manning decided to become a Denver Bronco, Smith stayed put and signed a new three-year deal worth $24 million.
Through the first eight weeks of the season, San Fran and Smith were humming along.
Then, in Week 10 against the St. Louis Rams, Smith sustained a concussion and was knocked from the game.
Rookie quarterback Colin Kaepernick entered and played so well that he ended up starting the remainder of the season.
Kaepernick: I wouldn't be here without Alex Smith http://t.co/GxCwIZfINu pic.twitter.com/2PHm1jyYq5
— NFL (@NFL) June 5, 2014
Harbaugh made the decision even though Smith had healed and was in the top third in the NFL in several quarterback statistics.
Through nine starts, Smith had passed for 1,737 yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Kaepernick continued to start in the playoffs as San Francisco beat Green Bay and Atlanta to meet Harbaugh’s brother, John, and the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII.
Smith watched from the sidelines as the Ravens led in the third quarter, 28-6.
A 34-minute power outage in the Louisiana Superdome led to a stirring Niners comeback, only to lose, 34-31.
Smith Becomes a Chief
Enough was enough.
Just when Smith thought he could finally call San Francisco home, a younger quarterback took his position, even though he was fully healthy and playing well.
“I feel like the only thing I did to lose my job was get a concussion,” Smith would later say.
Harbaugh and the Niners knew he deserved better and traded him to the Kansas City Chiefs in March of 2013.
“We would like to thank Alex for his contributions to the 49ers organization over the past eight years,” 49ers GM Trent Baalke said. “He is a true professional who represented the 49ers with class on and off the field.”
Andy Reid, the new head coach of the Chiefs, wanted a solid veteran starter to replace Matt Cassel, who had a Pro Bowl season in 2010 with KC then went downhill fast.
Alex Smith #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/5ALZfZEBNA
— Vintage KCChiefs (@Vintage_Chiefs) June 14, 2024
Smith and the Chiefs began 2013 with a perfect 9-0 record before finishing 11-5.
In the wild-card round, Smith faced Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and passed for 378 yards and four touchdowns.
Unfortunately, he also fumbled the ball and Kansas City lost, 45-44.
After throwing for 3,313 yards, 23 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, Smith was voted to his first Pro Bowl.
More Highlights
The 2014 version of the Kansas City Chiefs was an enigma.
Despite Smith passing for 3,265 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions, exactly zero of his touchdown throws were caught by his receivers.
That represented a rather embarrassing first in NFL history for a 16-game regular season.
However, although the Chiefs receivers proved inept, the team still went 9-7 and just missed the postseason.
In 2015, KC rebounded and went 11-5 with Smith passing for over 3,400 yards and 20 scores.
Top 5 plays from Alex Smith in 2015 – including this career-best 49-yd run.
WATCH: https://t.co/4YiVJLMmd1 pic.twitter.com/FGTX05qfGS
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) February 9, 2016
The Chiefs blanked the Houston Texans in the wild-card round, 30-0, for the first franchise playoff win since 1993.
Their march to the Super Bowl ended a week later in the divisional round to New England.
Smith was voted to his second Pro Bowl in 2016 when he threw for 3,502 yards and led the Chiefs to a 12-4 record.
One of those wins came during a Week 1 game against San Diego when Smith engineered a 24-3 deficit into a 33-27 win in overtime.
That represented the largest comeback victory in franchise history.
The team would then underperform months later in the divisional round and lose to Pittsburgh, 18-16.
A Draft Pick Once Again replaces Smith
When the 2017 NFL Draft arrived, Kansas City’s front office traded up in the first round from their original 27th spot to the 10th overall pick.
The Chiefs then used that pick on Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Smith was still the starter, but he could feel the pressure from Mahomes almost immediately.
Playing like his job was in jeopardy, Smith got hot.
KC began 2017 with a perfect 5-0 record and hit the bye week, 6-3.
#ChiefsCountdown | 𝟭𝟭 🗓️
Arguably Alex Smith's best game with the @Chiefs! Ol' #𝟭𝟭 opened up the 2017 season with 368 yards and 4 touchdowns vs. the Pats, improving his career record vs. Tom Brady to 2-1. pic.twitter.com/mPkfpu4Ydj
— Derek Zimmerman-Guyer (@DerekDZG11) August 26, 2024
Smith found consistent targets in tight end Travis Kelce and receiver Tyreek Hill and he tossed 287 passes in a row without a pick to begin the year, an NFL record
With one game remaining in the regular season, the Chiefs were 9-6 and already clinched the division and a playoff spot.
Through those 15 games, Smith had the best season of his career, passing for 4,042 yards, 26 touchdowns, and five picks with an NFL-best 1.0 interception percentage, and a 104.7 passer rating.
“I think it’s easy to look at stats and come to those conclusions,” Smith answered recently to a question of whether or not he thinks this is his best season. “Really, for us, that’s a time for the offseason. You can’t get into all that. There’s no time right now. I do feel like offensively, as far as my involvement in what we are doing and how explosive we can be when we are operating, yeah, we are pretty effective (right now). I am feeling pretty good about that.”
With nothing left to play for in the regular season, Smith sat in Week 17 while Mahomes started his first game as a pro.
During the contest, the rookie passed for 284 yards and an interception.
🏈 Coach Andy Reid praised Alex Smith for mentoring Patrick Mahomes! Discover why Smith is the unsung hero of Chiefs' success! 🤯✨ #ChiefsKingdom #NFL #PatrickMahomes #AlexSmith #AndyReid #Football pic.twitter.com/gN9Eo54YC4
— Sportskeeda Pro Football (@SKProFootball) August 26, 2024
KC won the game and faced Tennessee in the wild-card round.
Smith passed for two touchdowns during the game, but the Chiefs lost, 22-21.
WOW. The Chiefs have reportedly agreed to trade Alex Smith to the Redskins: https://t.co/Le3sixbPKu pic.twitter.com/T3BnGHJjoE
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 31, 2018
A few weeks later, Kansas City clearly wanted to begin the Patrick Mahomes era and traded Smith to the Washington Redskins.
A Devastating Injury Nearly Costs Smith His Life
In 2018, Smith took over the Redskins offensively and helped the team to a 6-3 start.
Then, in a Week 11 contest against Houston, Smith was sacked by Texans defenders Kareem Jackson and J.J. Watt.
While bringing the quarterback to the turf, the collective weight of Jackson and Watt fractured the tibia and fibula in Smith’s right leg.
Gruesome injury for Alex Smith.
Looks like a broken leg 😳pic.twitter.com/8mzirWFMBW
— LeadingNFL (@LeadingNFL) November 18, 2018
After getting carted off the field, Smith underwent several surgeries to repair the bones as well as extra effort to fight off sepsis, which threatened Smith’s life.
As if those surgeries weren’t bad enough, there was a chance that Smith would lose his leg due to the infections that arose.
“Just get rid of it,” Smith’s wife, Liz, told the doctors.
“Do anything you can to save it,” the patient [Smith] later told them.
Thankfully, the doctors were able to save the leg, but not without serious work.
After cutting away infected muscle and tissue from his leg, the doctors then began cutting and fusing together various muscle parts from Smith’s body as skin grafts to reattach to the injured area.
Alex Smith’s leg after 17 surgeries😳😳😳 pic.twitter.com/ESGUMdbCuy
— Eagles (@2018SBChamps) May 1, 2020
A large section of his left quad muscle was used to re-form a calf muscle that had disappeared from the surgeries.
When it came time to see the results, Smith was in shock at the sight.
“I wasn’t ready for what I saw,” he admitted. “Grotesque. Deformed.”
Comeback Player of the Year
Because of the countless surgeries and attempts to save his leg, Smith did not play for Washington in 2019.
There was also widespread belief that his injury would ultimately lead to retirement.
Then, in early 2020, Smith shocked family, friends, and teammates when he announced his intention to return to play.
It’s incredible that former #49ers QB Alex Smith has been cleared for full football activity after everything he battled since suffering a broke leg in 2018.
Nothing but respect 🙌🏼 pic.twitter.com/fmzCVH2KHr
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers_) July 25, 2020
He had rehabbed and conditioned to the point where his doctors cleared him to play in July 2020.
“Why come back? Because I can,” Smith told the media.
By then, the Redskins had been renamed the Washington Football Team and new head coach Ron Rivera wasn’t taking any chances.
Smith was glued to the sidelines for the first four weeks of the season.
Then, in Week 5, starter Kyle Allen was injured and Rivera reluctantly summoned Smith into the game.
While the crowd nervously watched, Smith was excited about getting the chance to compete again.
“I felt alive,” he said.
For the remainder of the game, Smith passed for 37 yards and was sacked six times.
However, he survived without any issues.
After a few more relief appearances, Smith got the starting nod in Week 10 against Detroit.
For the first time since November 2018, Alex Smith will be a starting QB 🙏What a comeback. pic.twitter.com/SYL4UMsb6h
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 15, 2020
He baffled sports fans with 390 passing yards on 38 completions in a three-point loss.
Smith would start five more times to close the season and end 2020 with a 5-1 record as a starter and 1,582 yards, six touchdowns and eight interceptions.
At 7-9, Washington still qualified for the playoffs, but Smith did not play due to a bone bruise.
Alex Smith wins NFL Comeback Player of the Year after making his return from his life-threatening right leg injury.
Never gave up 🙏 pic.twitter.com/QiIFFa5clx
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 7, 2021
After the season, numerous media outlets awarded him as the NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
Smith Retires
In early March 2021, Washington waived Smith.
He professed publicly that he believed he could still play and there was interest from a few teams.
Former No. 1 overall pick and 2020 Comeback Player of the Year Alex Smith announced his retirement from the NFL.
Describe his career in ONE word ⬇️ https://t.co/gAJ7Hklqwk pic.twitter.com/rM5RHKEmzU— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 20, 2021
However, on April 19, 2021, Smith announced his retirement from the NFL.
“I wanted to do my due diligence even though I was leaning towards retirement,” Smith said. “I wanted to marinate in it a little bit. I wanted to see what was out there, and I’m happy I did.”
During his career, Smith passed for 35,650 yards, 199 touchdowns, and 109 interceptions.
He also rushed for 2,604 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Smith was a three-time Pro Bowler, league passer rating leader once, NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2020, and George Halas Award recipient in 2021 for overcoming adversity to succeed.
Life Since Retiring
In 2021, ESPN came calling and hired Smith as an analyst for Monday Night Countdown and for various NFL segments on SportsCenter.
ESPN has signed three-time Pro-Bowl QB Alex Smith to be an analyst. Smith will appear on multiple shows and in various roles, mainly surrounding NFL programming, including SportsCenter, Monday Night Countdown on select weeks and Sunday NFL Countdown from time-to-time. pic.twitter.com/wamhpYpfAc
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 16, 2021
Since 2007, Smith has been active in charity, having founded the Alex Smith Guardian Scholars Program to help foster teens attend college and the Alex Smith Foundation.
He also started a clothing brand called Just Live with all of the proceeds from sales given to the facility where he rehabbed his leg.
Smith has been married to Elizabeth Barry since 2009 and the couple has three children.
References
https://vault.si.com/vault/2012/01/23/alex-smith-really-really
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/alex-smith-3.html
https://utahutes.com/news/2024/1/7/alex-smith-named-to-college-football-hall-of-fame-2024-class.aspx
https://www.chiefs.com/news/is-this-the-best-season-of-alex-smith-s-career-stats-say-yes-20014287
https://www.si.com/nfl/2015/04/24/aaron-rodgers-alex-smith-2005-nfl-draft
https://utahutes.com/news/2005/4/23/alex_smith_is_utah_s_first_no_1_nfl_draft_pick.aspx
http://www.footballsfuture.com/2005/prospects/alex_smith.html
https://footballfoundation.org/hof_search.aspx?hof=2540
https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/11/us/alex-smith-nfl-leg-trnd/index.html
https://www.nfl.com/news/washington-qb-alex-smith-wins-ap-comeback-player-of-the-year
https://www.nfl.com/news/alex-smith-retires-16-year-career-49ers-chiefs-washington
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SmitAl03.htm
NEXT: The Life And Career Of Ken Norton Jr. (Story)
I was suggested this web site by my cousin. I’m not sure whether this post is written by him as no one else know such detailed about my trouble. You are incredible! Thanks!