Many NFL fans remember the scare after Alex Smith’s career and life-threatening leg injury in 2018.
But has anyone actually seen what his leg looks like since he came back?
In a new photo from an ad featuring Smith for the shoe company Oofos, you can get a peek at his surgically-altered leg — and still looks gruesome.
After suffering a spiral and compound fracture to his tibia and fibula in his right leg, Smith developed an infection called necrotizing fasciitis that caused sepsis.
He was forced to undergo 17 different surgeries, and at one point, doctors told Smith that amputating the leg could be his only option.
Despite that daunting news, Smith made it back to the league in one of the more miraculous comeback stories in recent memory.
He led the Washington Commanders to a playoff berth in 2020 and was named Comeback Player of the Year.
Over the course of 16 years with the 49ers, Chiefs, and Commanders, Smith compiled a formidable record: he played 174 games, tossed 35,650 yards, and threw 199 touchdowns.
Fans will remember Smith as the last quarterback in Kansas City before two-time MVP and Super Bowl champ Patrick Mahomes took over.
The year before Mahomes took the helm as signal-caller, Smith was brilliant.
He led the Chiefs to the league’s sixth-ranked offense, throwing 4,042 yards en route to his third All-Pro selection in 2017.
Following his rousing comeback in 2020, he hung up his cleats for good.
Now, Smith is an NFL analyst for ESPN.
It’s safe to say he has a wealth of experiences to draw from in his analysis — from being the first overall pick in 2005 to over a decade as a starting quarterback to his inspiring recovery — Smith has led a full career.
It’s definitely left him with a mark (or two).
