Alex Smith Details His Visit to Jacksonville, Past Consideration Given to Signing With Jaguars
It isn't any secret the Jacksonville Jaguars and Alex Smith were a good match for each other on paper. Smith was an aging veteran who had just become a free agent, while the Jaguars were led by Smith's college coach (Urban Meyer) and a general manager who played a role in his drafting to San Francisco (Trent Baalke).
But up until a few days ago when Meyer confirmed on Michael Irvin's podcast that he had genuine interest in signing Smith to the Jaguars' roster, there wasn't much official confirmation. And now with Smith announcing his retirement from the NFL on Monday after 16 seasons, the idea of Smith backing up future No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence is no more.
With that said, Smith himself explained on ESPN's 'Outside The Lines' how much serious consideration he gave to signing with the Jaguars -- enough that he took a visit to the team this offseason.
"I took a trip to Jacksonville and checked it out and I left there so excited about what Coach Meyer has going and what he's building and his vision and the culture that he's going to bring," Smith told ESPN.
"You know, even though it was nearly 20 years ago that I played for him in college, he still has that fire and that definitely did excite me."
Smith's and Meyer's longstanding relationship was among the primary reasons Smith made sense as Jacksonville's backup, second only to the value Smith would've brought to Lawrence as a mentor.
Meyer coached Smith at Utah for two seasons and the two developed a bond that has lasted nearly two decades since. Meyer's offense fit Smith like a glove, and vice-versa, and Smith shined enough to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft.
With that said, Smith said he was leaning toward retirement to begin with. While Smith and Meyer are close, their relationship alone wasn't enough to coax Smith out of stepping away from his storied career.
"But I, you know, I wanted to do my due diligence, even though I was leaning towards retirement -- and I wanted to marinate in it a little bit. I want to see what was out there and I'm happy I did," Smith said.
"But no, I was ready. I am ready. And like I said, I'm so excited about what else is out there and most of all, to experience it with my family and to have no limitations and, you know, to take on the challenges that lie ahead."
The Jaguars' current quarterbacks on the roster are Gardner Minshew II, Jake Luton, and C.J. Beathard. With Smith now retired, it appears most likely the Jaguars will enter 2021 with either Minshew or Beathard as Lawrence's backup for the future No. 1 pick's rookie season.
Options in the veteran quarterback market were limited even before Smith retired, but it is now past time for them to set their eyes elsewhere when it comes to Lawrence's backup. Smith and the Jaguars had interest in each other, but Smith's NFL playing career is now over and Meyer will have to look for a Plan B at backup quarterback.
