Veteran Quarterback, Alex Smith Announces Retirement After An Amazing Recovery

Veteran Quarterback, Alex Smith has just recently announced his retirement after his 16th season in the NFL. The quarterback out of Utah was picked No. 1 in the Draft getting selected by the San Francisco 49ers. He spent some time on the 49ers before joining the Chiefs in 2013. Smith had made three Pro Bowl appearances as a player of the Chiefs. Then, in 2017 joined the Washington Redskins, now known as the Football Team. During his time there Smith had  suffered a compound fracture to his right tibia and fibula in a game against the Houston Texans.

Smith's injuries were serious and he was forced to undergo 17 surgeries. He was gone for the entire 2019 season and unfortunately wasn’t expected to be back next season. Other players like J.J Watt, Patrick Mahomes and Russell Wilson had made tweets wishing the best for Smith. As if things couldn’t get worse, Alex Smith had developed sepsis, which is a life threatening complication of an infection which caused him to go under another surgery. “Smith’s family stayed hopeful,” according to an article in The Washington Post.

Smith had a successful surgery. An instagram post was made by Elizabeth, who is Smith’s wife. She stated “Our family is beyond happy to have this man with us and home”.

After a couple months Alex Smith made his first appearance at the field with Washington, on crutches. He was with the team spending some time even though he was placed on injured reserve for all of 2019. It wasn’t until August 2020 where Alex was cleared for football activity. He earned a spot on the roster for Washington. In October against the Los Angeles Rams  Smith completed his first pass after being taken away from a gruesome injury. Players on the sideline from both of the sides gave Smith a little standing ovation as well as his wife and kids in the stands.

Smith posted a short video on his instagram stating his retirement from the NFL. In the video Alex told social media that he’d like to be with his family and rather stay at home. He told social media he could've had a few more years in him but decided to end it off on his 16th year. Smith earned Comeback Player of the Year and honored by many players after announcing his retirement. Many players had posted tweets congratulating the quarterback on a successful comeback and career.

In his short video he thanked his fans from each team, “Niner Nation, the Chiefs Kingdom or the Burgundy and Gold”. The veteran Quarterback will be remembered for his amazing comeback and the legacy he had created. His 16 years will always be remembered and he will be known for his strength and comeback from one of the most gruesome injuries in NFL History.