Alex Smith retires at the age of 36

National Football League quarterback Alex Smith of Seattle, Washington announced his retirement on Monday according to John Keim of ESPN. Smith played 14 seasons in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers (2005 to 2007, and 2009 to 2012), the Kansas City Chiefs (2013 to 2017), and the Washington Football Team (2018 and 2020).

In 174 games, Smith completed 3250 passes in 5193 attempts for 35650 yards, 199 touchdowns, and 109 interceptions. He also had 580 rushes for 2604 yards and 15 touchdowns. Not many might remember Smith as an excellent rushing quarterback, but he ranks 19th all-time in rushing yards for a quarterback in NFL history.

Smith’s best passing season in his NFL career came in 2017 with the Chiefs. That year he had career highs in completions (341), passing yards (4042), and quarterback rating (104.7). Smith also had the highest quarterback rating in the NFL.

However, after the 2017 NFL season, Smith was traded from Kansas City to Washington for cornerback Kendall Fuller and a third-round draft pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. So, why did the Chiefs make such a bold move when Smith was coming off the third Pro Bowl season of his career? (He was also selected to the Pro Bowl in 2013 and 2016). The answer was simple. The Chiefs had selected Patrick Mahomes with their first pick, 10th overall, in the 2017 NFL Draft, and Chiefs head coach Andy Reid thought Mahomes was ready to be the Chiefs quarterback in 2018. Reid’s assessment of Mahomes was accurate as Mahomes was the NFL’s most valuable player in 2018, and led the Chiefs to the Super Bowl title in 2020.

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Like Mahomes, Smith was a first-round pick. He was selected first overall by the 49ers out of the University of Utah in 2005.

Smith will also be remembered for his personal comebacks after injuries. He missed the entire 2008 NFL season in San Francisco with a shoulder injury, and then missed all of 2019 with Washington due to a serious infection from surgery after breaking his leg. In 2020, Smith was a 5-1 as the Washington starter, and was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. However, on March 5, Washington controversially released Smith, which was not a popular decision by many who follow the NFL.

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