Washington Football Team reportedly will part with Alex Smith

Alex Smith’s time with the Washington Football Team appears to be over.

The Washington Football Team is reportedly set to make an important roster decision in their quarterback room. It doesn’t look like Alex Smith is going to be back with the team in 2021.

As first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Kim Jones, Washington is expected to part ways with Smith at some point in the coming days.

Smith’s eventual release will mark the end of his three years with the team. Largely, they were marred by the severe leg injury he suffered in 2018 against the Houston Texans, but the moments he provided the team with in 2020 were nothing short of spectacular.

In six starts last year, Smith went 5-1 and helped lead the Washington Football Team to a division title. He provided a stabilizing presence in the locker room and while his performance on the field had dipped as a result of the injury, he avoided making massive negative plays, and that’s what afforded Washington a chance to win games.

That said, Smith’s contract was simply unpalatable at this point in his career. He was set to have a cap hit of $21 million, but Washington could get out of it and free up over $10 million in cap space. Considering that they were already looking for a long-term starter at the position and considering that they have Kyle Allen and Taylor Heinicke in the fold, parting with Smith made sense.

Now, with some extra cap space opened up, Washington will be able to target some of the best free agents on the open market as they look to build up their roster and add talent to their offense and back-seven.

Smith will certainly be missed in Washington because of his leadership ability. And as we have repeated ad nauseam here at Riggo’s Rag, his comeback from injury is likely the greatest in NFL history — if not, in all of sports history.

But even though we can all appreciate what Smith did in Washington, the time does feel right to move on. Smith’s ability simply didn’t match up with his contract. When presented with an out, Rivera and the front office had to take it.

Soon enough, we’ll see where Smith lands. It will likely be on a team that’s ready to win now as a backup — if he chooses to keep playing.

And for Washington, this fully sets into motion their search for another new starting quarterback.