NFL Network reporters Ian Rapoport and Kim Jones broke the news on Monday. The Washington Football Team is moving on from quarterback Alex Smith in “the coming days.”
It still isn’t known if if Smith will be released or traded, though a trade is seeming to make more sense. However, Washington may not receive offers from teams who know that they will end up releasing him anyway.
Smith is due an $18.8 million base salary in 2021, but Washington would save $14.7 million off its cap in 2021 by moving on from his contract.
That being said, what are some potential landing spots for this year’s Comeback Player of the Year?
San Francisco 49ers
Who says you can’t go home? Smith grew up eight hours south of San Francisco in La Mesa, and was drafted No. 1 overall by the Niners in 2005. No, he isn’t the passer or runner that he was in his prime, but he could serve as a more than capable backup for Jimmy Garoppolo.
Jas Kang of Niners Nation had this to say:
“General manager John Lynch has been open about the fact that the team will look to add a veteran option to backup Jimmy Garoppolo.”
“Although Smith’s escapability has diminished after the injury, he would provide head coach Kyle Shanahan with a reliable QB in case Garoppolo gets hurt again.”
After Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard showed Kyle Shanahan just how important a good backup QB is to a team with winning hopes, you have to think Alex Smith has crossed his mind.
Philadelphia Eagles
Depending on what mock drafts you look at, a lot of people around the league are predicting the Eagles will draft a QB in April. I think that’s a really, really bad move if the front office decides to.
There are a ton of other needs Philadelphia needs to address first, and Jalen Hurts has proven he is a more than capable starter. There are so many things fans look past when they see Hurts. This tweet is one example.
Another one is shear statistics. You can argue Hurts’ first four starts were statistically better than the first four starts of Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield, and Russell Wilson, to name a few.
Granted, take that for what it is, but here’s Hurts in four games as starter:
Over 50% completion percentage, two 300+-yard passing games, eight total touchdowns, and 3 interceptions.
John McMullen from Sports Illustrated agrees, the Eagles have a huge choice to make with their number six overall pick this year.
“With Hurts as the only QB under contract, there are going to be additions. Later-round picks and/or a veteran bridge option will indicate that the Eagles believe Hurts can develop into a top-tier starter,” he wrote.
“Conversely, wrangling for Justin Fields, Zach Wilson, or Trey Lance will foreshadow that Philadelphia believes it needs to get better from a traits standpoint at the game’s most important position.”
Jacksonville Jaguars
There isn’t much controversy at all in Jacksonville when it comes to who they need to draft in April. It’s Trevor Lawrence.
Of the three quarterbacks currently on the team, Gardner Minshew, Mike Glennon, and Jake Luton, I see only one of them making it to the start of the season.
During Alex Smith’s time in Kansas City, he was de-throned as the starter to eventual Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes told the Washington Post in January 2020 that he followed a blueprint that was laid out by Smith. He went on to say Smith helped a lot of his success early in Mahomes’ career.
Drafting Lawrence, a quarterback with some of the most expectations in the past five seasons, why not pair him with Alex Smith?
As SI.com’s John Shipley puts it:
“Smith also knows all about the pressures of being a top pick and having an organization and fan base rest their faith in them.”
“While the early start to his career in San Francisco was much bumpier than the Jaguars would like for Lawrence, Smith’s past experienced could make him an excellent sounding board for Lawrence to relate to.”
The Jaguars would be smart to strongly consider bringing Alex Smith to town.
