Former KC Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith announces retirement from NFL

Former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith has officially announced his retirement from the NFL.

Here’s the complete statement from Smith:

“Two years ago, I was stuck in a wheelchair, staring down at my mangled leg and wondering if I’d ever be able to go on a walk with my wife again or play games with my kids in the yard. Putting my helmet back on was the farthest thing from my mind. I kept asking myself, “All this for a stupid game.”

“But then someone did something that changed my recovery completely. He put a football back in my hands. I don’t know what it was, but all of a sudden, I felt stronger, more driven, and what once seemed impossible began to come into focus. The truth is, over the course of my life, that’s what this game has done for us. I was a skinny no-name recruit who wasn’t even supposed to play in college, let alone go to New York as a Heisman finalist or be the first one to have his name called on draft night. 

“And then on a routine play, I almost lost everything. But football wouldn’t let me give up, because no, this isn’t just a game. It’s not just what happens between those white lines on a Sunday afternoon. It’s about the challenges and the commitment they require. It’s about how hard and how far you can push yourself. It’s about the bond between those 53 guys in the locker room and everybody else in the organization. It’s about fully committing yourself to something bigger.

“Most of all, it’s about you. So to everyone out there, whether you’re a part of Niner Nation, Chiefs Kingdom, or the Burgundy and Gold, I thank you. To all the men I had the privilege of standing with and playing alongside, thank you. I want to say thank you for believing in me and thank you for helping me believe in myself and in the impossible. 

“Even though I’ve got plenty of snaps left in me, after 16 years of giving this game everything I’ve got, I can’t wait to see what else is possible. But first, I’m going to take a little time to enjoy those walks with my wife and my kids have no idea what’s coming for them in the backyard.”

Smith’s announcement comes on the heels of an offseason in which Smith was hoping to find another chance to start. After posting such an incredible return from a devastating leg injury just last year, one that earned him the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year, Smith was looking to build on his already impressive career of 16 years. However, Smith has clearly decided to turn the page.

Smith was the first overall selection in the 2005 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers and took over the starting role at the age of 21. He would remain with the Niners through the 2012 season, a tenure in which he went 38-36-1 as a starter with 81 touchdowns and 63 interceptions with a single playoff appearance in 2011.

In 2013, new Chiefs general manager John Dorsey decided to trade for Smith to be his quarterback and franchise leader for new head coach Andy Reid and traded two second-round selections to the 49ers in order to secure his services. Smith was an ideal fit from the start and helped turn around the Chiefs fortunes from the devastation of finishing with a league-worst two wins in 2012 to making the playoffs in 2013.

In his five seasons as as starting quarterback with the Chiefs, Smith took the Chiefs to the playoffs in four of those seasons and finished with a record of 50-26 as a starter. He was a strong leader on the field and a community hero off of the field and will always be remembered as one of the best quarterbacks in franchise history with 102 touchdown passes against only 33 interceptions in those five seasons.

Even when the team traded up for Patrick Mahomes in the 2017 NFL Draft, Smith was nothing less than an exemplary leader in the way he helped mentor Mahomes and pass the torch at the position. The Chiefs then traded Smith to the Washington Redskins shortly after the 2017 season ended in exchange for Kendall Fuller and a third round draft selection.

With Washington, Smith was given a lucrative four-year deal to be the new starting quarterback in the nation’s capital and he was 6-4 through 10 games, but unfortunately he suffered a horrible compound leg fracture that left him facing multiple corrective surgeries and a very long rehab ahead. Smith not only missed much of the 2018 season but the entirety of 2019 as well as he attempted to return to the field. At one point even walking again was in question, but Smith beat the long odds with his determination, heart, and talent and ended starting six games for Washington last season.