Former Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith explains the ‘unique’ role he’ll have with ESPN
When he retired from the NFL earlier this year, former Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith wasn’t sure what his future would hold.
Then his phone began ringing. NBC Sports called Smith. So did CBS Sports. Ditto for Fox Sports and ESPN.
The networks all wanted to know if Smith would consider working for them as an NFL analyst. The attention surprised Smith, who chose ESPN, as the network announced Monday.
“I had no expectations and/or training, obviously other than years of sitting at a press conference or in kind of an interview setting,” Smith said in a phone interview. “I met with all the networks, did the interviews and the rehearsals. I really did want to do my due diligence and it’s not so much even what you’re doing, it’s who you’re working with that I think is even a bigger part of the job.
“The people at ESPN, a lot of them I’ve known for a long time around the game and then even more here with ‘Project 11’ and the documentary. So it was an easy decision, and a natural fit because of all those factors. But yeah, I was totally taken aback to have multiple opportunities. I had zero expectations about any of that.”
Honestly, Smith had given little thought to what he’d do after football.
After returning from an injury that nearly cost him his life (and was the subject of ESPN’s “Project 11” documentary), Smith was fully focused on football last year.
In his final season with Washington, Smith soaked up every minute on the field.
“Once I retired, you start to think about a lot of stuff,” Smith said. “What are you going to do next? Is it going to be around football? Coaching, personnel, TV, am I going to not do anything even closely related to football? I’m at the start of that journey but this is a game that I’ve loved since I can remember. I grew up in a huge football family. This is a game that has shaped me greatly over the course of my life, and some of the closest relationships and most special experiences in my life have come from this game.
“So I’m grateful for it. I never thought I would play professional football, let alone for 16 years, and so for me to get to continue a relationship with it and to try and strike a balance I think is important, and ESPN has been so receptive to that.”
What he’ll do at ESPN
That balance Smith speaks of is work and family. When he stepped down as a player, Smith said he wanted to spend more time with his wife and kids.
ESPN will give him a chance to do that while also working. Smith, 37, won’t have a specific role with the network. He will appear in ”multiple shows and in various roles,” ESPN said.
That includes work on “SportsCenter,” “Monday Night Countdown” and “Sunday Night Countdown.” He may even sit down for some 1-on-1 interviews with players.
Smith is thrilled to get a taste of different roles to see which suits him best.
“That was probably the determining factor for me that really kind of made this decision pretty easy,” Smith said. “When I finally decided to retire, that was really the first time I even thought about potentially doing something around football on TV, and so I thought I would do my due diligence. I met with all the networks and did all the interviews. .. I kind of just wanted to investigate.”
Two things were most important to Smith and helped guide him to ESPN.
“For one, you don’t realize there’s a lot of different types of coverage out there and what do those look like? And who are you working with? Those are obviously all really important things,” Smith said.
“And so for me, it really was a no-brainer. I didn’t totally know what I wanted to do. I didn’t want to sit and do one thing over and over again, and so ESPN is really unique in that standpoint that they can provide a lot of opportunities.”
Smith played for the Chiefs from 2013-17 and led Kansas City to the playoffs four times. The Chiefs were 50-26 in games he started.
In his career with the 49ers, who drafted him first overall in 2005, and Washington, Smith made three Pro Bowl appearances. He was the 2020 Comeback Player of the Year.
Smith is thrilled to spend more time with his family while not saying goodbye to football.
“I look forward to being around the game that I still love,” he said. “I still feel like I have a wealth of knowledge and look forward to continuing that in a new role and then also, like I said, enjoy being a husband and a dad and present in my family life.”
This story was originally published August 16, 2021 at 10:30 AM.
