FOOTBALL
Alex Smith retires after comeback
Alex Smith retired Monday after making an improbable comeback from a gruesome broken leg, saying he's ready to leave the NFL but believing he's still able to play quarterback.
Smith made the announcement on Instagram a few weeks shy of his 37th birthday, hoping to enjoy more time with his family.
"I want to say thank you for believing in me, and thank you for helping me believe in myself -- and in the impossible," Smith said. "Because 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."
Smith earned AP Comeback Player of the Year honors for getting back on the field last season, two years removed from an injury that required 17 operations. After breaking his right tibia and fibula in a game Nov. 18, 2018, against Houston, he said he wondered if he'd be able to take walks with his wife or play with his kids in the yard -- let alone play in the NFL again.
He was hospitalized for almost a month and survived a life-threatening infection in addition to the operations. Smith spent the next year and a half rehabbing and was back at practice when Washington assembled for training camp last summer.
Smith's first game action since the injury came Oct. 11 when Kyle Allen was injured, and he made his first start at Detroit on Nov. 15. He went 5-1 as the starter, including a victory at Philadelphia in Week 17 on a strained right calf that clinched the NFC East title for Washington.
"He accomplished the greatest comeback in professional sports history and was a huge part of our team's success this past season," owners Dan and Tanya Snyder said in a statement. "We witnessed every step of Alex's comeback, and he personifies perseverance, strength and the will to never give up."
![FILE - Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith speaks at a news conference after an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts in Landover, Md., in this Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018, file photo. Alex Smith is retiring from the NFL after making an improbable comeback from a broken leg. Smith announced his retirement Monday, April 19, 2021, on Instagram, saying he still has plenty of snaps left him just shy of his 37th birthday but is calling it quits to enjoy time with his family. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)]()
FILE - Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith speaks at a news conference after an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts in Landover, Md., in this Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018, file photo. Alex Smith is retiring from the NFL after making an improbable comeback from a broken leg. Smith announced his retirement Monday, April 19, 2021, on Instagram, saying he still has plenty of snaps left him just shy of his 37th birthday but is calling it quits to enjoy time with his family. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
![FILE - Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith (11) celebrates with fans after an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Landover, Md., in this Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018, file photo. Smith earned AP Comeback Player of the Year honors for getting back on the field last season, two years removed from his gruesome injury that required 17 surgeries to repair. Alex Smith is retiring from the NFL after making an improbable comeback from a broken leg. Smith announced his retirement Monday, April 19, 2021, on Instagram, saying he still has plenty of snaps left him just shy of his 37th birthday but is calling it quits to enjoy time with his family.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)]()
FILE - Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith (11) celebrates with fans after an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Landover, Md., in this Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018, file photo. Smith earned AP Comeback Player of the Year honors for getting back on the field last season, two years removed from his gruesome injury that required 17 surgeries to repair. Alex Smith is retiring from the NFL after making an improbable comeback from a broken leg. Smith announced his retirement Monday, April 19, 2021, on Instagram, saying he still has plenty of snaps left him just shy of his 37th birthday but is calling it quits to enjoy time with his family.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
![FILE - Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith, bottom, reacts after an injury during the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans in Landover, Md., in this Sunday, Nov. 18, 2018, file photo. Smith announced his retirement Monday, April 19, 2021, on Instagram, saying he still has plenty of snaps left him just shy of his 37th birthday but is calling it quits to enjoy time with his family. Smith earned AP Comeback Player of the Year honors for getting back on the field last season, two years removed from his gruesome injury that required 17 surgeries to repair. (AP Photo/Mark Tenally, File)]()
FILE - Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith, bottom, reacts after an injury during the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans in Landover, Md., in this Sunday, Nov. 18, 2018, file photo. Smith announced his retirement Monday, April 19, 2021, on Instagram, saying he still has plenty of snaps left him just shy of his 37th birthday but is calling it quits to enjoy time with his family. Smith earned AP Comeback Player of the Year honors for getting back on the field last season, two years removed from his gruesome injury that required 17 surgeries to repair. (AP Photo/Mark Tenally, File)
![FILE - Washington quarterback Alex Smith (11) walks on the field before practice at the team's NFL football training facility in Ashburn, Va., in this Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020, file photo. Smith announced his retirement Monday, April 19, 2021, on Instagram, saying he still has plenty of snaps left him just shy of his 37th birthday but is calling it quits to enjoy time with his family. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)]()
FILE - Washington quarterback Alex Smith (11) walks on the field before practice at the team's NFL football training facility in Ashburn, Va., in this Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020, file photo. Smith announced his retirement Monday, April 19, 2021, on Instagram, saying he still has plenty of snaps left him just shy of his 37th birthday but is calling it quits to enjoy time with his family. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
![FILE - This is a 2020 file photo showing Alex Smith of the Washington NFL football team. Alex Smith is retiring from the NFL after making an improbable comeback from a broken leg. Smith announced his retirement Monday, April 19, 2021, on Instagram, saying he still has plenty of snaps left him just shy of his 37th birthday but is calling it quits to enjoy time with his family. (AP Photo/File)]()
FILE - This is a 2020 file photo showing Alex Smith of the Washington NFL football team. Alex Smith is retiring from the NFL after making an improbable comeback from a broken leg. Smith announced his retirement Monday, April 19, 2021, on Instagram, saying he still has plenty of snaps left him just shy of his 37th birthday but is calling it quits to enjoy time with his family. (AP Photo/File)
