ESPN Hiring Alex Smith As Analyst

Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reports that ESPN is hiring former NFL QB Alex Smith as an NFL analyst.

According to Marchand, Smith won’t be a full-time analyst for ESPN in his first year. The plan is for him to appear on shows like “Monday Night NFL Countdown,” among others.

Marchand says it’s possible that this could grow into a “larger commitment” depending, of course, on how things go.

Smith also garnered interest from FOX and CBS.

Smith engineered a remarkable comeback last season following a devastating leg injury and was named the Comeback Player of the Year as a result. 

Earlier this offseason, Smith indicated he still had a desire to potentially play but he had remained unsigned to this point. However, he later announced his decision to retire from the NFL. 

After what he accomplished last season, there really was not much else for Smith to prove. 

Smith, 36, is a former first-round pick of the 49ers back in 2005. After seven years in San Francisco, Smith was traded to the Chiefs in 2013.

Smith was in the fourth year of a five-year, $76 million contract that included $45 million guaranteed and was set to make a base salary of $10.8 million for the 2018 season when he was traded to Washington.

Washington and Smith later agreed to a four-year, $94 million contract that included $55 million fully guaranteed. However, he was released this offseason. 

For his career, Smith appeared in 174 games for the 49ers, Chiefs and Washington. He completed 62.6 percent of his passes for 35,656 yards, 199 touchdowns and 109 interceptions. He also rushed 579 times for 2,608 yards and 15 touchdowns. 

He was named to the Pro Bowl three times and was the 2020 AP Comeback Player of the Year.