Alex Smith can afford to joke about his surgically repaired leg now, but it nearly cost him his life six years ago.

Alex Smith (Photo by Getty Images)The former NFL quarterback suffered a spiral and compound fracture to his right tibia and fibula after getting tackled by J.J. Watt and Kareem Jackson during a game between the Washington Redskins and Houston Texans in 2018.

He would have surgery on the leg but was diagnosed with sepsis and was told he could lose it.

“[The] next thing I remember is waking up several weeks later faced with the decision of amputation or limb salvage at that point,” he told ESPN.

Smith made the choice to save his leg, going under the knife 17 times over the course of a few months.

He posted an image of his leg to his Instagram Story this weekend, joking that he should not have used sunscreen on it. Check the photo out below:

Alex Smith Managed A Miraculous Comeback Two Years Later

It is hard to believe Alex Smith was able to play in another NFL game with such a leg. But he did return to the NFL in 2020, taking the field for his old team, which had undergone a name change and was known as the Washington Football Team then.

“It was great to be out there, the feeling, the range of emotions, the good and the bad,” he said. “It’s why I fought so hard to come back. Sometimes you can take it for granted. Certainly, to be away from it for a couple years, I’ve missed it.” 

He helped Washington clinch their first division title since 2015, also winning the Comeback Player of the Year Award.

Smith announced his retirement the following year, bringing his 16-year career to an end.