Former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith decided to call it a career on Monday. The 36-year-old product from the University of Utah retires from the NFL after 16 seasons.
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 been 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.”
Though he began his career in San Francisco as the 1st overall selection by the 49ers in 2005, Smith had a very rocky introduction to the NFL during his first six seasons with the club. Following two bounce-back seasons in 2011 and 2012, Smith was traded to Kansas City, where his career finally took a turn for the better.
But Smith did more than just play well as the Chiefs’ signal-caller. He stabilized the quarterback position where the club had struggled mightily for six years after some guy named Trent Green was traded away back in 2007. Smith helped solidify Andy Reid’s style of offense as well as establish a winning culture inside the locker room. He also helped bring a winning tradition to Kansas City that still hasn’t seen a record below .500 since 2012.
In his first season with the Chiefs, in 2013, Smith led one of the greatest worst-to-first seasons in NFL history, taking a Kansas City to an 11-5 record and a postseason appearance after the team suffered a 2-14 record the season prior.
In 2015, after the Chiefs started the year 1-5, Smith helped lead Kansas City to 11-consecutive victories, including the franchise’s first postseason win in 22 years.
During the 2016 home-opener against the San Diego Chargers, Smith led one of the largest come-from-behind victories in NFL history as the Chiefs offense rallied down 24-10 in the fourth quarter and sent the game into overtime. Smith showed true grit and toughness at the end as he drove Kansas City to the Chargers’ end of the field before calling his own number to pound it into the endzone for the 33-27 win.
2017 was arguably Smith’s greatest season, not just statistically but for another reason as well. In what would be his final season with the Chiefs, Smith passed for over 4,000 yards and threw 26 touchdowns and just five interceptions. Believe it or not, Smith was actually in the running for the MVP award during the 2017 campaign. But it wasn’t just on the field where Smith was doing well, it was also on the sideline and during practice where he was doing his best work.
You see, the 2017 season was also the year Kansas City drafted Patrick Mahomes in the first round of that year’s draft. Rather than being disgruntled by the team’s draft-day decision, Smith welcomed it and took Mahomes under his wing.
Since then, the young gunslinger from Texas Tech has reigned as one of the top passers in the league today. Upon hearing the news of his mentor’s retirement, Mahomes shared some kind words and credits Smith for the success he’s had thus far.
“Just a tremendous guy, obviously a great player,” said Mahomes. “Dealt with adversity throughout his career and always seem to come on top and be better from it. He’s dealt with different coaches, he’s dealt with different systems and he’s always had success and obviously, with the injury that he had been able to come back and lead his team to the playoffs it shows the type of man that he is, the type of team player that he is and I’m just grateful for the time that I had with him that really developed me to be the quarterback I am today.”
Head Coach Andy Reid was also asked for his former starter from 2013-2017 and he was quick to call ‘dibs’ if Smith was to get into coaching.
“You guys know what I feel about him,” said Reid. “He’s just a heck of a person. He had a great career. He played so many years here with different teams, and everywhere he went, he made them better. I texted him a while back if he gets into coaching I get first dibs on him, which I doubt he will, but if he decides to go that route, he’d be a guy that you’d love to have on your staff. He is really a special person. He’ll go down as one of my all-time favorites there.”
Smith was traded to the Washington Football Team following the 2017 season. In November 2018, Smith suffered a devastating leg injury that forced him to undergo 17 surgeries and a grueling rehab that caused him to miss the entire 2019 campaign. In 2020, Smith overcame the odds of him ever making it back onto an NFL field and started in six games for the WFT, going 5-1 and winning the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award.
In 16 seasons, Smith started 167 games as his teams went 99-67-1 in those contests. Since 2005, he’s thrown for 35,650 yards, 199 touchdowns, and 109 interceptions. The 46 ints he’s thrown since 2013 are the second-fewest by a quarterback with at least 70 starts, which only trails Aaron Rodgers.
Smith’s career is something that should be admired because of all the things he’s triumphed over the course of his 16 years spent in the NFL. For Chiefs fans, his time in Kansas City, especially, should be appreciated because of his grit and leadership that helped turn the culture around inside the locker room, the winning tradition he helped Andy Reid establish, and his mentorship that helped Patrick Mahomes clear his own path as an NFL quarterback.
For all that and so much more, thank you for everything you’ve done as a Chief, Alex.
Happy Retirement.
