Alex Smith

The former No. 1 overall pick will call it quits after 16 seasons in the NFL -- seven years with the 49ers, five with the Chiefs, and three with Washington. Against all odds, Smith's recovery from a tragic 2018 leg injury culminated in 2020 with his emergence as the Football Team's starting QB. “Two years ago I was stuck in a wheelchair, staring down at my mangled leg, wondering if I would ever be able to go on a walk again or play with my kids in the yard,” Smith said in a recorded statement posted to Instagram. “On a routine play, I almost lost everything. But football wouldn’t let me give up. Because, no, this isn’t just a game. It’s not just what happens between those white lines on a Sunday afternoon. It’s about the challenges and the commitment they require. It’s about how hard and how far you can push yourself." Smith's best fantasy season came in 2017, when he eclipsed 4,000 yards for the only time in his career and threw 26 touchdowns to five interceptions for Kansas City. The streaming QB mainstay also ran for 355 yards and a score. Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer, who coached Smith at Utah, had tried to lure the veteran to Jacksonville as a mentor for incoming rookie Trevor Lawrence. With no shot at starting in 2021 and nothing left to prove following his horrific injury, Smith chose retirement. 

Meyer acknowledged the team had talked to Smith about coming to Jacksonville, presumably to serve as backup and mentor for soon-to-be No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence. Meyer coached Smith at Utah in the early-2000s before Smith was selected first overall by the Niners, and Jacksonville general manager Trent Baalke was the 49ers GM when the team drafted Smith. "He’s like our family. Both of us feel so strongly about them. But that’s something that we’re just going to keep an eye on because I hope he comes back," Meyer said. After returning from a catastrophic 2018 leg break, Smith struggled mightily down the stretch in 2020, bothered by the calf on his formerly broken leg. He sat out the Football Team's Wild Card loss to Tampa. With no chance to start for a team in 2021, Smith could retire. 

The Niners, who have the third pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, created a workout for Lance "and will have a hand in administering it," Graziano reports. Lance has reportedly worked closely this month with QB coach John Beck, who played under Kyle Shanahan when Shanahan was Washington's offensive coordinator. The 49ers gave Beck a list of drills for Lance's second pro day -- a strong indication that the team has not shut the door on taking the North Dakota State quarterback with the draft's third pick. Of course, this could be part of an elaborate smoke screen created by a team that has been linked to Lance, Mac Jones, and Justin Fields. 

ESPN's John Keim said he "would not read anything into their absence" after Washington officials attended Lance's first pro day workout. Football Team general manager Martin Mayhew all but admitted last week that the organization was out on Lance, who has 16 games of college experience. "Anytime you see guys with limited time on the job, that is a concern for me with the quarterback position," Mayhew said. Washington, with the draft's 19th pick, would have to move into the top-four picks to ensure a shot at Lance; that doesn't seem likely. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Taylor Heinicke will probably battle it out for the team's Week 1 starting job.