The Washington Football Team has parted ways with quarterback Alex Smith, according to a statement released by the team.
Smith, 37, won the 2020 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award after leading the team to the NFC East division title, going 5-1 as a starter. He came back this year after suffering a gruesome leg injury in the 2018 season, an injury that lead many to believe he would never play in the NFL again.
Overall, the Football Team went 7-9 in 2020 and was ousted in the Wild Card Division of the playoffs by Tampa Bay. The team will be saving $14.9M against the salary cap, and Smith becomes a free agent. Smith had two years left on his contract and has expressed his desire to continue playing.
Smith signed with the Football Team in 2018 and went 11-5 when he started games. They were 6-27 when any other quarterback started during his tenure with the team.
Smith's end with Washington wasn't pleasant, according to statements he made to GQ Magazine.
They didn't see it, didn't want me there, didn't want me to be a part of it, didn't want me to be on the team, the roster, didn't want to give me a chance. Mind you, it was a whole new regime, they came in; I'm like the leftovers and I'm hurt and I'm this liability. Heck no, they didn't want me there. At that point, as you can imagine, everything I'd been through, I couldn't have cared less about all that. Whether you like it or not, I'm giving this a go at this point.
Source: ESPN.com