NFL Rumors: WFT Wants Alex Smith to Return for 2021 Season

Andrew Harnik/Associated Press

Veteran quarterback Alex Smith and the Washington Football Team could be reunited in 2021, at least if the coaching staff gets its way.

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network: "Coach Ron Rivera and his staff want Smith back for the 2021 season, sources say. A nod to not only his leadership in the quarterback room, but also simply how he's played. Smith has not said publicly or privately whether he wants to play in 2021, but he is under contract through 2022."

Smith, 36, has thrown for 918 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions in four appearances (two starts) in his return to the field this season, completing 68.2 percent of his passes. Washington is 1-1 in his starts.

"He's back as a player," Rivera said on Nov. 16, per ESPN's John Keim, adding that Smith could "possibly" be seen as a long-term solution at quarterback.

"You've got to look at how much longer you think he can play, how much longer does he want to play?" he added.

The fact that he's even on the field, however, is remarkable enough. In 2018, Smith suffered a compound fracture of his right tibia and fibula so severe that the wounds he suffered when his bones broke through his skin became infected and threatened his life. 

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Four hospital stays and 17 surgeries later, Smith returned to the football field this season. It's the comeback story of comeback stories, and the fact that he remains a competent NFL quarterback is pretty incredible. 

As for his future in Washington, Smith is owed $19 million next year, a reasonable enough figure for a bridge quarterback either keeping the seat warm for Dwayne Haskins or a player the team selects in the 2021 NFL draft if Washington moves on from Haskins after his struggles in his first two years. At some point, the team needs to bring aboard a young, franchise quarterback.

But for now, the team seems pretty happy with the job Smith's done. 

"Alex is a vet guy. Everything about him is professional. It's everything you want in a quarterback. That guy fought for his life," wideout Steven Sims Jr. told Keim. "He's just an inspiration. His whole story is an inspiration. I go hard just when he's back there. Regardless of who's back there, I go hard. But it's a different feeling when he's back there."