Select any first overall pick in NFL history, and you’ll usually find a narrative built around immediate stardom or spectacular failure. Alex Smith fit neither box. Selected ahead of Aaron Rodgers by San Francisco in 2005 out of Utah, Smith endured a grueling trial by fire, churning through six offensive coordinators in his first six seasons while battling injuries—including shoulder damage that wiped out his entire 2008 campaign. By the time Jim Harbaugh resurrected his trajectory in 2011, Smith had earned the unfair reputation of an unwanted afterthought, only for a 2012 concussion to open the door for Colin Kaepernick to steal his starting job mid-season.

Traded to Kansas City in 2013 alongside new head coach Andy Reid, Smith walked into a franchise reeling from a 2–14 collapse. Few in Chiefs Kingdom expected a transcendent franchise savior, but Smith provided something infinitely more crucial: flawless operational stability. He won his first nine starts in red and gold, engineering an immediate turnaround that brought Kansas City back to the postseason while earning his first career Pro Bowl selection.

Skeptics routinely tagged him with the "Game Manager" label, criticizing his preference for short high-percentage throws over dangerous downfield risks. Yet that calculated risk aversion fueled Reid’s offensive machine. Smith excelled at protecting the football, unleashing elite dual-threat mobility when pockets collapsed—racking up 1,672 rushing yards in Missouri—and letting Jamaal Charles and Travis Kelce tear defenses apart after the catch.

His redemption peaked in 2017. Shaking off the "captain checkdown" narrative, Smith attacked defenses at every depth, led the entire National Football League with a 104.7 passer rating, and threw for a career-high 4,042 yards, 26 touchdowns, and just five interceptions. He earned his third Pro Bowl nod and orchestrated the league's most efficient passing attack—all while serving as an extraordinary mentor to a rookie first-round pick waiting in the wings named Patrick Mahomes.

History repeated itself in early 2018 when Kansas City traded the veteran to Washington, handing the keys to Mahomes. Yet unlike his exit from the Bay Area, Smith departed Arrowhead as a respected hero who had stabilized a struggling franchise and laid the culture, discipline, and winning foundation for a championship dynasty. After surviving a life-threatening leg injury and infection in Washington to win the 2020 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award, he hung up his cleats as one of the most resilient signal-callers of his generation.

He threw for 17,608 passing yards and 102 touchdown passes against just 33 interceptions, and he rushed for 1,672 yards and 10 touchdowns, posting a 50–26 starting record for Kansas City.