Alex Smith: I'm 'very much lucky to be alive' after post-op infection

The gruesome leg injury that Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith suffered in 2018 apparently almost cost him more than just football games.

Smith told ESPN's Jeremy Schaap he's "very much lucky to be alive" following the post-op infection in his surgically repaired right leg.

"The initial surgery went great. The bone was lined up, I had several plates put in my leg, and everything looked great," Smith said. "I was getting ready to go home ... and that's when the initial infection was spotted."

Smith continued: "I went septic, it was an infection that had gotten into my blood. ... Next thing I remember is waking up several weeks later, faced with the decision of amputation or limb salvage."

The signal-caller broke his leg against the Houston Texans in November 2018. He suffered the infection later that year.

Smith completed 62.5% of his pass attempts for 2,180 yards and 10 touchdowns against five interceptions in 2018, his first season with the Redskins, before suffering the injury.

After missing the entire 2019 campaign due to the ailment, the 35-year-old Smith is now aiming to show he can still play in the NFL.

"There's enough there that I can go out there and play," he said. "Knowing that, yeah, failure is a possibility ... I need to prove that I can come back and play quarterback in the NFL, and if I can do that, that would be great, and it'll get figured out."