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Washington football quarterback Alex Smith said his return had thrown a “wrench” into the team’s plans this season and that he didn’t feel wanted by the organization this season. summer.
Smith, the returning NFL player of the year, told GQ magazine he surprised the organization by being able to play.
“They didn’t see it, didn’t want me there, didn’t want me to be part of it, didn’t want me to be part of the team, of the roster, didn’t want to give me a chance, ”Smith told the magazine.“ Watch out, this was a whole new diet, they came in; I am like the leftovers and I am hurt and I am this responsibility.
“Heck no they didn’t want me there. At that point, as you can imagine, everything I had been through, I couldn’t have cared less about it all. Like it or not, I give it a go at this point. “
Smith’s words call into question his desire to stay with the organization and the frustration he still has. Washington is ready to retain Smith and develop the offense further, but the team is also exploring other options at the quarterback due to whether Smith can stay healthy for a full season.
Smith hit a cap of $ 24.4 million and Washington would save $ 13.8 million if he released him.
“We’re still in a situation where we’re looking at all of our options,” coach Ron Rivera said earlier this month.
Smith has not said for sure he will return, but sources have told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that he wants to keep playing. And Smith’s own words in several interviews strongly suggest that is the case. He and Rivera had several conversations earlier this month, though neither spoke much about them.
“I have more,” Smith said in the GQ interview. “I have more to get there too. So I really really want to get into the meat of this offseason and see where I am and push it. I want to push my body harder. I want to push my leg harder.” The harder I push, the more it responds. At some point I’m obviously going to have to sit down with my wife and have a very real conversation, and do we want to do that? She deserves a ton of comments. So we’ll see. “
The team declined to respond to Smith’s comments.
At training camp, Rivera said he was following what doctors told him about Smith’s recovery. Additionally, Washington was entering what he thought was a year of rebuilding and a 35-year-old quarterback in Smith’s situation, coming out of a broken right tibia and fibula, did not team up with the attempt to plan for the future. Rivera inherited a 3-13 team and wanted to see if sophomore quarterback Dwayne Haskins could become a long-term starter.
Washington wanted to put Smith on the injured reserve before the final cuts, which would have ended his season. That week Smith and Rivera had a long reunion, and then Smith met the next day with Rivera and offensive coordinator Scott Turner to convince them he should be on the roster.
The doubts were widespread. Smith admitted that there was a “very small group” of people who thought he could do it. Several sources within the organization said after watching his documentary on ESPN that they did not believe a doctor would allow him to make contact.
Smith opened camp on the physically unable to perform list, although his personal medics allowed him to return. One of those doctors, Robin West, is Washington’s chief orthopedic surgeon.
Slowly their minds changed. Smith remained on the PUP roster until August 16 as he showed coaches that he was no longer injured and just needed to test himself on the field. Still, there were sources close to him at the time who also questioned whether Smith would be able to play – or at what level. His injury left him with a foot drop, which sometimes causes his foot to slip. He also needed special orthotics in his crampons.
Washington gradually got him to do more in practice, but didn’t put him in fully-padded 11-on-11 workouts until the end of training camp – after pressing coaches to give him a chance .
“I felt I still hadn’t had my fair shake by then,” Smith told GQ. “I wanted to see if I could play the quarterback and play football, and I feel like I haven’t had that opportunity to find out yet. It’s like I’m getting closer to the end of it. ‘a marathon and they tell you you can’t finish the run. It’s like, f — that. I’m finishing this stuff. At least I’ll see if I can. no, that wasn’t like if open arms came back after two years. “
Smith was the No.3 quarterback for the first four games, but was raised to No.2 when Rivera benched Dwayne Haskins. Smith returned to the field after Kyle Allen suffered a concussion with the Los Angeles Rams and was sacked six times. Allen suffered a season-ending ankle injury three weeks later against the New York Giants, forcing Smith into the starting lineup next week against the Detroit Lions.
Washington went 5-1 in games pitched by Smith. His stats were modest – he threw five touchdowns to five interceptions as a starter. He was six and eight, respectively, in total. But its impact was obvious to a young team who needed guidance on the pitch. Smith was a near-unanimous choice as the returning NFL Player of the Year.
Smith sustained a bone bruise on Dec. 13 and played just one more game, a divisional title win over Philadelphia in the regular season finale. He lobbied to play in the playoff game against Tampa Bay, but Rivera opted for Taylor Heinicke, fearing Smith’s lack of mobility with the lingering leg problem could lead to problems against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense. .
Whatever the coaches felt about Smith in August, their thoughts evolved over the season.
“When you see what Alex went through and just his desire and willingness to come back and the joy and excitement he feels playing, it was very inspiring for me to watch him,” Rivera said in December. .
He also praised Smith’s leadership.
“There’s an intangible element that some guys have and have,” Rivera said. “Alex has it. Can he be replaced? Well, you’re going to have to find a guy who has the same types of intangibles. These guys are special. They only come every now and then.”
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