Alex Smith

Alexander Douglas Smith is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for 16 seasons. He played college football at Utah, where he was recognized as an All-American and led his team to victory in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl. Following his collegiate success, he was selected first overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2005 NFL Draft.

Smith struggled with consistency and injuries until 2011 when he led the 49ers to their first NFC West division title and playoff win since 2002, along with their first NFC Championship Game appearance since 1997. The next year, however, a concussion resulted in Smith losing his starting position to backup Colin Kaepernick. He was subsequently traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he guided them to four playoff runs between 2013 and 2017 and one postseason victory in 2015, their first since 1993. Smith also received three Pro Bowl selections during his Chiefs tenure and led the league in passer rating for 2017. Smith was traded to the Washington Redskins in 2018 to make way for Kansas City's second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes; in the 2017 season Smith had been considered instrumental in developing Mahomes who would be named the 2018 NFL MVP.

During his first season with Washington, Smith suffered a life-threatening injury to his right leg that nearly resulted in amputation. Although expected to never play again, Smith completed a lengthy rehabilitation process that allowed him to return in 2020. He became Washington's starter midway through the season, leading the team to an NFC East division title and earning him NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Smith retired after he was released by Washington during the 2021 offseason and joined ESPN as an NFL analyst later that year. His comeback from injury is cited as among the greatest in NFL history.

Alexander Douglas Smith was a professional football player for 16 seasons. He played college football at Utah where he was an All-American and led his team to a bowl victory. He was then drafted by the San Francisco 49ers. Smith struggled with injuries and inconsistency early in his career but had a breakout season in 2011. The next year he was injured and lost his starting position. He was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs where he had 4 successful seasons. In 2018, he was traded to the Washington Redskins. During his first season with the Redskins, he suffered a life-threatening injury but made an incredible recovery and return to football. He retired in 2021 and became an analyst for ESPN.