Since the benching of Dwayne Haskins in October, there’s been uncertainty about the starting quarterback position in Washington long-term. Kyle Allen was viewed as a stopgap solution, but his season-ending ankle injury turned the keys over to 36-year old Alex Smith.
Sunday, Smith made his first start since his last, two years ago when he suffered a horrific leg injury. Against the Lions, Smith had his best statistical game of his career, throwing for a career-high 390 yards on 38 completions.
Unfortunately, his performance came in a losing effort, as Washington lost 30-27. However, Smith proved he belonged on the football field after enduring 17 surgeries and having his career, leg and life threatened with the injury. Now, chatter has emerged could Smith be Washington’s long-term answer at quarterback?
That question was presented to Washington’s head coach Ron Rivera.
“Well, possibly,” Rivera answered during his weekly Zoom Conference Monday. “You have to look at how much longer can he play, how much does he want to play and if so, is he part of your plan?”
The last time Smith was the full-time starter he guided Washington to a 6-3 record in 2018 prior to his leg injury. He has overcome the mental and physical hurdles associated with the injury. Coupled with his 362-yard performance off the bench last week against the Giants, Smith has thrown for 300 yards in back-to-back games for the first time in his career. Coming back from the injury is no longer the objective. He is displaying he is a starting quarterback.
Now, what remains to be answered is will he play beyond this season and if so, will it be in Washington?
Smith has already said he will wait until the offseason to decide his future. He is in the second year of a four-year, $94 million extension he signed after being traded to Washington from Kansas City in 2018.
If he returned next season under his current deal, he’d be owed $19 million while carrying a $24.4 million cap hit. However, Washington has a potential-out after this season and could save $13.6 million against the cap for 2021 if Smith was released or traded.
Washington having a 2-7 record could also complicate matters. Barring a late season surge, Washington is in prime position to consider drafting their future signal-caller with five quarterbacks projected to be selected in the first round of next spring’s NFL Draft.
The jury is still out on Haskins. Allen is likely to return next season after recovering from ankle surgery. But, how Smith closes out the season could factor into Washington’s long-term plans.
