The 2020 season didn’t end the way that Washington quarterback Alex Smith wanted it to, with him standing on the sidelines in street clothes while his team lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card round of the playoffs. But that doesn’t take anything away from the miraculous comeback he made to even get on the field this season.
After overcoming everything that he did in the past two years following a devastating leg injury in 2018, it’s fair to wonder what the end goal for Smith is. He got back on the field this year and played some really good, meaningful football, leading his team to a playoff berth. It could have ended differently, but the question remains: Is there more to accomplish for Smith before he hangs up his cleats and sends his leg brace off to the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
Asked Alex Smith if he wants to keep playing. Didn't say yes or no. Said he'll "take a few weeks" but is "living in the moment" right now.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) January 10, 2021
That’s a question that Smith doesn’t have the answer to at the moment. Hearing him talk, he clearly sounds like a man who wants to keep playing the game, which comes as no surprise. You have to be driven and a little bit crazy to come back from an injury like his. However, he also seems to know the stress it brings to his family, going out there and putting his health in danger week in and week out. As fans of the team, we all know the anxiety we feel when watching a pocket close around Smith, so imagine how his wife feels watching that with the memory of him going down years ago.
We can debate this all we want, but there are some players in the Washington locker room who feel like they know the answer already.
Logan Thomas on Alex Smith: I cant imagine him not trying to play football next year
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) January 10, 2021
If we know Alex, then he’s going to give it another shot. However, the wife’s word carries a whole lot of weight, and what she says usually goes. We’ll see how things shake out of the next few weeks, but at the moment, whether or not Smith plays in 2021 is completely up in the air.
