Report: Washington Expected to Part Ways With Alex Smith

Smith was 5-1 as a starter this past season, helping to lead Washington to a playoff berth.

The Washington Football Team is expected to part ways with quarterback Alex Smith in the coming days, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Kim Jones. 

Smith was 5-1 as a starter this past season and helped lead Washington to a playoff berth. He earned AP Comeback Player of the Year honors. 

In Nov. 2018, Smith suffered a gruesome leg injury that required 17 operations and nearly a leg amputation. He missed all of 2019 rehabbing the injury.

In a recent interview with GQ, Smith spoke candidly about his leg injury and rehab process saying the team seemed to prefer he didn't return to football.

"When I decided to come back, I definitely threw a wrench in the team's plan," Smith said. "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."

Smith, 36,  threw for 1,582 yards and six touchdowns in his eight games in 2020. Washington opened the year with former first-round pick Dwayne Haskins as its starter but eventually had Smith, Kyle Allen and Taylor Heinicke all start games at different points in the season. Haskins was cut prior to Week 17. 

According to Spotrac, Smith has a dead cap hit of just over $10 million next season. 

Washington re-signed Heinicke to a two-year deal in early February and has the No. 19 pick in the 2021 NFL draft.