Alex Smith’s Mom: Leaving San Francisco 49ers Is Bittersweet

Jan 29, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith (11) addresses the press during media day in preparation for Super Bowl XLVII against the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

While Alex Smith is certainly excited to be getting another shot at being a starting quarterback in the NFL, his family might not be as excited. His mother attended all his games in San Francisco, despite living in San Diego. It’d be hard for that streak to continue now, traveling every week to Kansas City.

“It was bittersweet,” Pam Smith said, via Randy Covitz of the Kansas City Star. “It was hard. Alex had worked long and hard and been through a lot of coaching turnover, and a lot of issues, . . . injuries. It seems like things were really clicking, and he was playing at an exceptional high level. It was hard.”

Alex Smith certainly dealt with a lot of upheaval in his time as a 49er. And while he was being rewarded with the franchise turning around and returning to relevance and being a top NFC team, he was replaced, and now he starts over.

That certainly has to be bittersweet, though nothing is official for 2 more weeks.

“You’re going to get a smart, very hard-working, very high-character person,” she said, “and by any measure, one of the nicest guys you’d ever want to meet.”

His mother’s glowing endorsement shouldn’t come as a surprise. But there is some validity to her praise and how he handled the situation in San Francisco as Colin Kaepernick emerged and he was placed on clip board duty.