The Washington Redskins this past year have struggled to pull themselves into playoff contention. This was especially true after they lost Alex Smith to a horrific leg injury. He was out for the entire year. They were not able to make the playoffs and seemed to be at a standstill.
When Smith tragically broke his leg, the Redskins were in first place in the NFC East. It occurred in the third quarter of a home game against the Houston Texans on Nov. 8. Smith was immediately sent to the hospital for emergency surgery on his fibula and tibia.
The replacements were not adequate in the slightest. Colt McCoy got hurt, Mark Sanchez was just terrible, and then they signed Josh Johnson as a last resort. The fact that they even won some games is remarkable and a testament to their top defense.
Smith's future with the franchise remains unclear. Back in 2018, Smith signed a mega four-year, $94 million contract extension with the Redskins. The Chiefs had just traded him away to make space for their unknown prodigy, Patrick Mahomes.
The team could just cut him now and take a huge cap hit of 40 million dollars. This would be quite a desperate decision and really isn't a viable option. They have to plan on Smith coming back from injury.
Per John Keim of ESPN:
For a couple of months, the refrain from Redskins Park has been to acknowledge the long road Smith faces after his compound leg fracture in November and multiple surgeries, how the odds are against him for the immediate future and that “if anyone can do it, Alex can.” The point is, the Redskins are not ready to dismiss any scenario, which means there’s no reason to cut the 34-year-old now.
Even though Smith has needed multiple surgeries on his leg (the first one left him with an infection), there is optimism from doctors that he will be able to rebound. Even though his body won't be nearly the same when he comes back, the Redskins have to keep on with his services.
The 34-year-old quarterback won't have the same mobility and will have to redefine his offensive game. Smith has always been known to move outside of the pocket. His scrambling ability will be hindered.
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