Alex Smith only spent three seasons in the burgundy and gold due to the gruesome leg injury he suffered in Nov. 2018. Washington was off to a fantastic start that season before Smith was lost for the rest of that season and in 2019.
In 2019, Washington spent a third-round draft pick on Ohio State wide receiver Terry McLaurin. It didn’t take long for former head coach Jay Gruden to realize McLaurin was a legit No. 1 NFL wide receiver.
The following season, in Ron Rivera’s first season as head coach, Dwayne Haskins began the season at quarterback. He was benched. Kyle Allen entered and was lost for the year due to injury. That opened the door for one of the most inspirational and improbable comebacks in NFL history when Smith was back as Washington’s starting quarterback.
Smith ended up starting six games for Washington that season until an injury kept him out at the end of the season, including the playoffs. Smith went 5-1 as the starter that season, developing a strong rapport with McLaurin in helping lead the team to a surprising NFC East title.
Smith retired after that season and now works as an analyst for ESPN. In an episode of the “ESPN Daily” podcast this week, Smith discussed Washington’s win over the Packers last week and how terrific of a player McLaurin is.
“In the second half of this game, he single-handedly, I think, won this ball game for Washington,” Smith said of McLaurin. McLaurin caught five passes for 73 yards, and a touchdown in the win, including multiple clutch catches to put the game away.
Smith would go on to explain why McLaurin was such a fantastic player before also praising him as a teammate.
“He’s one of my favorite teammates, kind of ever,” Smith said. “He never had the persona that comes with being a No. 1 receiver, like, ‘Get me the ball. I got this.’ I did like that he didn’t scream at me, but on the flip side, there were times I wanted him, like, you almost had to push his buttons during his rookie year and second year. He didn’t know how good he was, that he was a monster. Just incredibly physically gifted.”
Smith played 16 seasons in the NFL, and for Smith to call him one of his favorite teammates ever, despite only being on the same roster for two seasons, says all you need to know about McLaurin.
