Tag: Alex Smith retirement

10 best games from Alex Smith’s career with 49ers, Chiefs, and Washington

Former San Francisco QB Alex Smith announced his retirement from the NFL. Here are his best games with the 49ers, Chiefs, and Washington.

Alex Smith may not have had the career trajectory that some former No. 1 overall quarterbacks have had. The former Utah product won’t retire with a Super Bowl appearance, which at least Cam Newton can speak of. He certainly won’t know the joys of hoisting a Lombardi Trophy, a feat Troy Aikman accomplished three times in his career.

However, Smith was a quarterback that could instantly upgrade the position once he led the San Francisco 49ers to a 13-3 record in 2011. He solved Kansas City’s quarterback quandary in 2013 when he started for Andy Reid in their first season together with the Chiefs. Even Washington was in first place in the NFC East when an untimely broken leg pushed his career to the brink.

What no one say about Smith is that he didn’t fight. Smith kept battling, and as Winston Churchill said, it is the courage to continue that counts.

Former 49ers No. 1 overall pick QB Alex Smith retires

Former San Francisco 49ers No. 1 overall pick QB Alex Smith has retired from the NFL.

Alex Smith is calling it a career.

The former 2005 San Francisco 49ers first-round pick announced on his Instagram account Monday that he will retire from the NFL.

“To everyone out there, whether you’re a part of Niner Nation, the Chiefs Kingdom, or the Burgundy and Gold, I thank you,” Smith said in a video posted to the social media platform. “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.

“Because even though I’ve still 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.”

Smith led the 49ers to a 13-3 record and a No. 2 seed, including a first-round bye, in 2011. The playoff berth and NFC Championship Game appearance was part of a 49ers resurgence that kicked off three straight conference title game appearances, including playing in Super Bowl XLVII against the Baltimore Ravens.

Midway through the 2012 season, Smith was supplanted as the starter after sustaining a concussion in a Week 9 tie with the St. Louis Rams. Backup Colin Kaepernick took over, and subsequently Smith was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2013 offseason. The former Utah Ute would spend the five seasons with the AFC West club before joining Washington in 2018, where he broke his leg in Week 10, leading to insurmountable rehab for Smith.

Smith went 38-36-1 as a starter for the 49ers from 2005-11, and compiled a 79.1 passer rating. Smith collected 14,280 passing yards and 81 passing touchdowns along with four touchdowns in his 80 career games with San Francisco.