Ron Rivera: WFT Evaluating All Options Regarding QBs, Alex Smith's Future

The Washington Football Team is in no rush to find its franchise quarterback, and head coach Ron Rivera isn't committing to anyone already on the roster.

When asked about the future of quarterback Alex Smith, Rivera told reporters Wednesday that the team is "in a situation we're looking at all of our options" and also said the franchise is hoping to find the "right one" at the position, whether it's this year or later down the line (h/t Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post). 

Rivera also did not rule out the possibility of the team signing Cam Newton, telling reporters, "Nothing is off the table." Rivera spent nine years coaching Newton with the Carolina Panthers.  

Washington started four quarterbacks this season—Alex Smith and Dwayne Haskins started six games each, Kyle Allen started four, and Taylor Heinicke started the team's playoff game.   

Haskins was cut by the team and then moved on to the Pittsburgh Steelers, signing a one-year, $850,000 reserve/future deal with the team at the end of January. Allen, who spent last season in Washington after two years with the Carolina Panthers, is a free agent. So is Heinicke.

Washington holds the No. 19 pick in the 2021 draft, so it's highly unlikely it will be able to add a starter-ready quarterback. 

That leaves Smith, who returned this season after a harrowing leg injury nearly ended his career and forced him to miss the 2019 campaign, as the only quarterback on the roster. He is signed through 2022, but Rivera isn't set on the 36-year-old.

Smith was installed as the team's starter in Week 10, collecting 390 yards in his first start in nearly two years. Washington dropped to 2-7 on the season, but Smith went on to lead it to four straight victories. Haskins interrupted that streak with two losses, but Smith returned in the last week of the season to edge the Philadelphia Eagles and clinch the NFC East. 

After inconsistencies in the quarterback room in 2020, there's still no clarity—or urgency—for Washington heading into 2021.