Alexander Douglas Smith (born May 7, 1984) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He played college football for the Utah Utes, earning first-team All-American honors and winning MW Offensive Player of the Year in 2004. Smith was selected first overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2005 NFL draft.
Smith had a breakout season in 2011 when he led the 49ers to their first division title and playoff win since 2002 and their first NFC Championship Game appearance since 1997. The following season, a concussion resulted in Smith losing his starting position to backup Colin Kaepernick. Smith was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs the following offseason and guided them to four playoff runs between 2013 and 2017, their first consecutive division titles in franchise history, and their first playoff victory since 1993 during the 2015 season. Smith also received three Pro Bowl selections with the Chiefs and led the league in passer rating in 2017. He was traded to the Washington Redskins in 2018 to make way for second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes, but was credited with helping develop the future NFL MVP.
During his first season in Washington, Smith suffered a life-threatening injury to his right leg that nearly resulted in amputation. Although expected never to play again, Smith completed a lengthy rehabilitation process that allowed him to return in 2020. Smith became the starter midway through the season, leading the team to a division title and earning NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors. He retired during the 2021 offseason after being released. Smith's return from injury is considered one of the greatest comeback stories in NFL history. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2024.
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Early life
Smith was born on May 7, 1984, in Bremerton, Washington. He grew up in La Mesa, California. His father, Douglas D. Smith, was an executive director at Helix High School, which Smith attended.
As a starter for the Helix Highlanders during his junior and senior years, Smith led the team to a 25–1 record, including two San Diego CIF section championships. He was named to the first-team all-conference and all-county squads in the San Diego CIF system. Smith also earned the conference offensive player of the year twice, and twice won the team MVP for Helix. During his time at Helix, Smith set a school record by throwing for six touchdowns in one game, and recorded the second-highest completion percentage in San Diego CIF history. While at Helix, he was teammates with future NFL star Reggie Bush. Smith and Bush were finalists for the 2004 Heisman Trophy, making it the first time a high school had two finalists at the same ceremony. Bush went on to win the 2005 award.
Smith was president of his senior class in high school, earned college credits through a program at San Diego State University, and took a dozen Advanced Placement tests.
College career
Smith attended the University of Utah and played for the Utah Utes, wearing number 11. He finished fourth in voting for the 2004 Heisman Trophy and was selected as the 2004 Mountain West Conference Player of the Year. Smith posted a 21–1 record as a starter in college, while leading a high-powered spread offense under head coach Urban Meyer. He led the Utes to victories in the 2003 Liberty Bowl and the 2005 Fiesta Bowl. Smith earned a bachelor's degree in economics in two years and began work on a master's degree before being drafted.
Professional career
Pre-draft
At the NFL Combine, Smith recorded a 4.7 time in the 40-yard dash, and had a 32-inch vertical leap. He also scored 40 out of 50 on the Wonderlic test.
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers, who held the first overall pick, had hired a head coach with a strong personality in Mike Nolan. Nolan also evaluated California quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but did not believe that Rodgers' attitude could co-exist with him. Smith was the first overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft, selected by the 49ers. In July 2005, Smith signed a six-year, $49.5 million contract with $24 million guaranteed.
Dealing with an injury and being taken in and out of the lineup by head coach Mike Nolan, Smith played in nine games as a rookie, throwing for 875 yards, a touchdown, and 11 interceptions.
After the challenges faced in his rookie campaign, Smith went into the 2006 season with a new offensive coordinator (Norv Turner) and an improved set of offensive weapons around him. The 49ers used their top draft choice on tight end Vernon Davis. They also upgraded their offensive backfield, trading underachieving running back Kevan Barlow to the Jets, making Frank Gore the feature back.
Smith also spent the off-season working daily with his new coordinator, wide receivers, and tight end while working to improve his technique and add bulk. The improved offensive cast clearly helped Smith develop in his second year, especially early. Smith's first three games of the season saw him throw three touchdowns, no interceptions, and amass 814 yards. After struggling in Kansas City, he then threw for three touchdowns against the Oakland Raiders, setting a career-high. However, the next five games saw Smith resume his growing pains, averaging only 153 yards per game while throwing only six touchdowns and nine interceptions. Despite his difficulty, he led the 49ers on a three-game winning streak in November.
Smith met Joe Montana for the first time on November 5, 2006, during a game against the Vikings. The 49ers wore the throwback jerseys of the 1989 team which Joe Montana and teammates wore. The 49ers went on to win 9–3, upsetting the Minnesota Vikings.
In need of a statement game, the 49ers traveled to Seattle for a Thursday Night Football game against their division rivals. During the broadcast on NFL Network, Cris Collinsworth noted that if he were starting an NFL franchise, he would have taken Broncos rookie quarterback Jay Cutler before Alex Smith and fellow rookies Matt Leinart and Vince Young – and that Smith was not even close to the others. Going into the 4th quarter, the 49ers were trailing the Seahawks 7–3, and pulling out a win looked unlikely. Smith however performed brilliantly in the fourth quarter, and drove the 49ers on a long touchdown drive down the field early, taking a narrow 10–7 lead. Late in the quarter, with the same score, Smith struck again – shaking off an almost certain sack, rolling to the left and completing a pass to Frank Gore for a touchdown to give the 49ers a 10-point lead. On the next drive, Smith cemented the victory by leading yet another touchdown drive, and rushing for a touchdown on a naked bootleg. Collinsworth had earlier in the game observed that "Alex Smith is the best I've ever seen him. That drive is the best I saw," and on seeing his touchdown run, commented "What a second-half he has had!"
Kansas City Chiefs
On February 27, 2013, the 49ers agreed to trade Smith to the Kansas City Chiefs for the Chiefs' second round pick in the 2013 NFL draft and a conditional pick in the 2014 NFL draft. The deal became official at the beginning of the new league year on March 12.
After the trade became official, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid stated that Smith would be the starting quarterback for the 2013 season. Smith's job as the starter was solidified during OTA's (Organized Team Activities, a term usually referring to NFL pre-season activities). According to coaches and teammates, Smith displayed a very high "football IQ," and his accuracy in passing was lauded as the best many had ever seen. According to Kansas City's quarterbacks coach, Smith was "super intelligent" and had all of the intangibles that he looked for in a quarterback. The Chiefs were the last unbeaten team in the 2013 NFL season with Smith winning his first nine regular-season starts, gaining 1,919 passing yards with nine touchdowns compared to four interceptions. Smith earned his first and only perfect passer rating on December 15, 2013. He was 17 of 20 with 287 yards and 5 touchdowns, four of them going to Jamaal Charles, in a victory over the Oakland Raiders. Smith and the Chiefs lost to Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Wild Card Round – on January 4, 2014. Smith threw four touchdowns, completing 30 of his 46 pass attempts for 378 yards and no interceptions, while also carrying the ball 8 times for 57 yards. However, he did commit his team's only turnover, losing a fumble. The final score of the game was 45–44 in favor of the Colts.
Smith was elected to his first Pro Bowl at the end of the season as a replacement for Tom Brady. In the game, Smith led all quarterbacks in yards, tied for most touchdowns, and led the game-winning touchdown drive at the end of the game that resulted in him throwing a touchdown pass to DeMarco Murray for a 22–21 win.
On August 31, 2014, Smith and the Chiefs agreed to a four-year contract extension. Smith appeared in 15 games and completed 65.3% of his passes in the 2014 season while throwing for 3,265 yards and 18 touchdowns to only six interceptions. However, the Chiefs finished with a 9–7 record and did not qualify for the playoffs.
After another strong season in 2015, Smith was elected to the Pro Bowl as an alternate, but turned down the offer. He once again led the Chiefs to the playoffs, where they defeated the Houston Texans 30–0 in the Wild Card Round. Smith threw for 190 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in the victory over the Texans. He also rushed five times for 27 yards and had a 64-yard scramble that was called back due to a holding penalty. The Chiefs went on to lose 27–20 against the New England Patriots in the Divisional Round. The Chiefs became the first team ever to start the season 1–5 and win a playoff game. At the end of the season, Sports Illustrated named Smith the best-looking quarterback in the NFL, an honor previously won by Tom Brady. He was named team MVP for 2015 alongside safety Eric Berry. In the regular season, Smith threw for 3,486 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only seven interceptions, with a completion percentage of 65.3, a passer rating of 95.4, and 7.4 yards per attempt. He also rushed 84 times for 498 yards, two touchdowns, and an average of 5.9 yards per carry. At the end of the season, Smith was recognized as the 81st best player by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.
Washington Redskins / Football Team
On January 30, 2018, Smith was traded to the Washington Redskins in exchange for cornerback Kendall Fuller and a third-round pick (78th overall) in the 2018 NFL draft. The trade became official on March 14, the first day of the new league year. Smith subsequently signed a four-year, $94 million contract extension with the Redskins.
During his Redskins debut, Smith threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns in a 24–6 road victory over the Arizona Cardinals. Through the first nine games of the season, he helped lead Washington to a 6–3 record.
During a game against the Houston Texans on November 18, 2018, Smith suffered a spiral and compound fracture to his tibia and fibula in his right leg when he was sacked by Kareem Jackson and J. J. Watt. The injury drew parallels to former Washington quarterback Joe Theismann, who suffered a career-ending leg fracture in a game 33 years to the day prior in 1985. Theismann was also present during the game and witnessed the injury. The game ended with the same score of 23–21 as the one in which Theismann was injured, though the Redskins won the game against the Giants in 1985.
Following the initial surgery, Smith developed life-threatening necrotizing fasciitis that resulted in sepsis which required him to undergo 17 surgeries, including eight debridements, across four separate hospital stays over a period of nine months. Doctors had suggested that an amputation above the knee might have been Smith's only option before performing skin grafts and an operation transferring muscle from his left quadriceps to save it.
As a part of his recovery process, Smith wore an external fixation device for nearly a year.
Smith was placed on the team's physically unable to perform (PUP) reserve list in 2019, missing the entire season. Despite the severity of the injury which many thought he would never come back from, Smith affirmed his intent to return in early 2020. An ESPN documentary following Smith's recovery, Project 11, aired in May 2020.
Smith was cleared by doctors to resume football activities in July 2020 with the team placing him on the physically unable to perform list to begin training camp before being activated on August 16.
Retirement
Despite garnering interest from several teams to claim Smith off waivers, he announced his retirement on April 19, 2021. In June, Smith was named the winner of the George Halas Award by the PFWA.
In June 2021, Smith signed a brand partnership with recovery shoe brand Oofos. He credited the shoes for helping with his recovery from his leg injury.
Career statistics
Career highlights
Awards and honors
NFL
NFL Comeback Player of the Year (2020)
3× Pro Bowl (2013, 2016, 2017)
NFL passer rating leader (2017)
George Halas Award (2021)
2× NFL Top 100 — 81st (2016), 81st (2017)
NFC Offensive Player of the Week (Week 8, 2012)
AFC Offensive Player of the Week (Week 1, 2017)
College
Sporting News Player of the Year (2004)
First-team All-American (2004)
MW Offensive Player of the Year (2004)
First-team All-MW (2004)
Second-team All-MW (2003)
NFL records
158.3 passing rating (perfect game) in Week 15, 2013
Most passes to start a season without throwing an interception: 287 (2017)
Most 4th quarter comeback wins in a single season: 6 (2011)
Fewest interceptions in a single season: 5 in 2011 (16 starts)
Most consecutive pass attempts without an interception: 249
Most rushing yards by a quarterback, season: 498 (2015)
Most consecutive passes without an interception: 312 (Week 3–Week 14, 2015)
Highest completion percentage, season (min. 200 attempts): 67.5 (2017)
Broadcasting career
Smith joined ESPN in August 2021 to serve as an NFL analyst for SportsCenter and Monday Night Countdown, among other programs for the network.
Personal life
Smith married former Oakland Raiders cheerleader Elizabeth Barry in 2009. They have two sons and a daughter.
Smith has a brother and two sisters. One of his great-grandfathers was an Austrian immigrant of Serbian descent who immigrated to the U.S. from the Austro-Hungarian Empire at age 12. To honor his great-grandfather, Smith, his brother, and his father are each tattooed with four firesteels, the traditional Serbian cross. Smith's uncle, John L. Smith, was a college football head coach until 2018, and his cousin, Chris Shelton, is a former Major League Baseball player.
In 2007, Smith founded the Alex Smith Foundation and the Alex Smith Guardian Scholars Program, which helps send foster teens to college. He started the program with $500,000, and continues to personally fund the majority of the charity. The Boston Globe held up Smith's foundation as a model charity that properly allocated its funding, noting that it raised over $800,000 from 2008 to 2010 and spent 91 percent of the funds on scholarships and grants.
In 2014, Smith was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters degree by the University of Utah, where he also delivered the commencement speech for the graduating class.
In 2021, Smith started a collection called Just Live with a clothing brand; all of the proceeds from the collection are donated to the Center for the Intrepid where he spent most of his rehabilitation process.