Three Washington Football Team players that remain unsigned in free agency
2. QB Alex Smith
Alex Smith is another injury risk that remains available on the free-agent market. Of course, his story is a lot different than Foster’s.
Smith suffered a brutal leg injury on the field against the Houston Texans in 2018. He nearly died and nearly lost his leg, but he somehow managed to return to the field. It was arguably the greatest comeback in sports history, and he managed a 5-1 record in the six starts that he made for Washington last year during their improbable playoff run.
Unfortunately, at the end of the season, Smith’s surgically-repaired leg just couldn’t hold up. He was dealing with a calf strain that limited his mobility there and though he played in the regular-season finale against the Eagles, he didn’t look like himself.
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With Smith due an excess of $20 million, Washington cut him during the offseason to free up over $18 million in cap space. It was a tough goodbye given what Smith had accomplished during the previous season and his veteran leadership, but it was necessary. He just isn’t the same player he once was and the team couldn’t afford to be shelling out that type of money to keep him.
That said, Smith indicated that he still wants to play. Teams often like to have veteran quarterbacks around and while Smith isn’t a flashy player at all, perhaps a team in need of a quarterback, or a team with a young passer that needs a mentor, will take a chance on him for backup money.
This also could be the end of the road for Smith. If that’s the case, that’s okay. He had a strong career and was underappreciated during his best years.
No matter what, his final year in Washington was something that Washington fans will never forget, as he delivered an improbable trip to the playoffs on top of an even more improbable comeback.