Former 49er Alex Smith, last year’s Comeback Player of the Year, moves to broadcast booth.
Recently retired QB to join ESPN as a football analyst
“I’m very open to figuring out what’s next and certainly this is a piece of that.” Alex Smith
This should come as no surprise: Just-retired quarterback Alex Smith, whose inspirational final NFL chapter spoke to his passion for football, isn’t done with the game.
Smith, 37, who rose from an alleged bust, to a Pro Bowler, to a Comeback Player of the Year during his 16-year career, has a new job title: ESPN analyst.
The former 49ers QB, selected No. 1 overall in 2005, was shoved into the deep end as a 20-year-old rookie. Now a husband and father of three children, ages 10, 8 and 5, Smith is taking a dip-his-toesin-the-water approach to television after retiring in April.
Call Smith a part-time utility player. He’ll appear on multiple ESPN platforms in a variety of roles. Smith’s job won’t include daily appearances and requires only sporadic travel. He wants to spend time with his family, which moved back to the Bay Area this summer, while staying connected to football.
Smith has been warmly welcomed back to the area. He received a standing ovation Friday during the Giants’ game at Oracle Park.
“It’s the game I love. I love talking about it. I love being around it,” Smith said. “And for me, it was wondering if I could strike that balance. I
made that very clear. And (ESPN was) open to helping me figure out, ‘What does that look like?’ And they were really the only network that could provide those opportunities. Everything else was kind of all or nothing.”
Smith also interviewed with CBS, Fox and the NFL Network. CBS and Fox only had game-analyst openings, which would have required Smith to travel up to 18 weekends this season. With ESPN, among other duties, Smith could make appearances on SportsCenter, discussing the topic of the day, and will appear on ESPN’s pregame show, Sunday NFL Countdown, perhaps as part of segment in which he interviews another QB. He will likely be on site for a handful of games as an analyst for Monday Night Countdown. He’s expected to also be on site for the Super Bowl and NFL draft.
Smith had formed relationships at ESPN through “Project 11,” the network’s documentary that chronicled his improbable return last season from a spiral compound fracture of his right tibia and fibula suffered in November 2018. The injury was followed by infections, septic shock and 17 surgeries. Smith went 5-1 as a starter and helped lead Washington to its first playoff berth since 2015.
ESPN offered Smith a relatively low-commitment opportunity to see if TV is the best way he can stay close to football. It’s something he plans to do, in some capacity, in retirement. Smith’s dad, Doug, was a high school football coach before he became a principal. His uncle, John L. Smith, was the head coach at Louisville, Michigan State and Arkansas.
“This is the first fall where I haven’t been in a camp in like 25 years,” Smith said. “I’m very open to figuring out what’s next and certainly this is a piece of that with ESPN. That’s kind of what made this decision so easy. There are people there that I feel like I have a great relationship with over the years. And it was a chance for me to get a bunch of different types of experiences and see what might click.”
Smith hasn’t attended a broadcasting camp. In fact, he didn’t consider transitioning to television during the final seasons of his career. However, networks reached out to Smith’s agent to gauge his interest after his retirement. Smith was intrigued.
For Smith, it will be a chance to continue showing more of his personality and voice. During his early career struggles with the 49ers, Smith was typically guarded and cautious with reporters. However, as he grew, on and off the field, he spoke more openly and confidently.
Even before his historic comeback, Smith was widely respected for how he responded to being benched for Colin Kaepernick during the 49ers’ Super Bowl run in 2012, and for his mentoring of his replacement, Patrick Mahomes, with the Chiefs in 2017.
“As you get older, it is easier to strike a balance,” Smith said. “Getting comfortable in your own skin, being who you are and letting your personality show. I do look forward to continuing down that road in this next phase. Just being myself and talking about the game that I love.”
Smith will certainly spend time talking about 49ers quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and rookie Trey Lance during his debut season. The 49ers’ drafting of Lance with the No. 3 pick has drawn endless comparisons to Smith’s situation when the Chiefs selected Mahomes at No. 10. Smith remained the starter in 2017 before he was traded to Washington after the season, allowing Mahomes to take over.
Asked about the 49ers’ current quarterbacks, Smith, the rookie analyst, had an opinion. He thinks Garoppolo, whose anticipation and quick release he views as elite, can also hang on to his job for one more season.
“If he stays healthy, I think he’s going to have a big year,” Smith said. “I look forward to it. I think he’s a heck of a player and really has been bitten by the injury bug. And I think that would be amazing for Trey to watch a guy play at the kind of level that Jimmy can operate.”