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Veteran quarterback Alex Smith, who made a remarkable comeback from an injury that nearly cost him his leg, announced Monday on Instagram that he is retiring from football.

"Two years ago I was stuck in a wheelchair, staring down at my mangled leg, wondering if I would ever be able to go on a walk again or play with my kids in the yard," Smith said. "On a routine play, I almost lost everything. But football wouldn't let me give up. Because, no, this isn't just a game. It's not just what happens between those white lines on a Sunday afternoon. It's about the challenges and the commitment they require. It's about how hard and how far you can push yourself.

"It's about the bond between those 53 guys in the locker room and everybody else in the organization. It's about fully committing yourself to something bigger."

Smith, 36, was the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year in 2020 after helping lead the Washington Football Team to the NFC East title. His tenure with Washington was defined by the broken right fibula and tibia that he suffered in November 2018 and subsequent comeback, with his first game action on Oct. 11, 2020.

In between, Smith underwent 17 surgeries to fight an infection and opted not to have his leg amputated. His battle to return to action was the subject of an ESPN documentary that aired last spring, but Smith kept fighting, passing numerous tests and milestones along the way to being cleared by doctors.

Smith was drafted No. 1 overall by the 49ers in 2005 and spent eight seasons in San Francisco before joining the Chiefs in 2013. The three-time Pro Bowler is 27th all-time in the NFL with 35,650 career passing yards. He appeared in 174 games total with San Francisco, Kansas City and Washington, throwing 199 touchdown passes.

He finishes with a career record of 99-67-1, a passer rating of 86.9 and a TD-INT ratio of 199-109. His 99 wins are the fifth-most of any quarterback selected No. 1 overall in the common draft era, trailing only Peyton Manning, John Elway, Eli Manning and Terry Bradshaw. Smith also joined Brett Favre as the only quarterbacks since 1950 to start on three or more teams and have a winning record with each one, proving that while he was never quite a superstar at the position, he was a winner.

Smith said earlier this offseason he was interested in pursuing a new opportunity under center once the inevitable -- his release from Washington -- became a reality, and he could have continued his career if he'd wanted to. Multiple teams wanted to sign Smith, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported, but Smith instead decided a couple of weeks ago to walk away from the sport on his terms.

As NFL.com suggested, essentially, there was no better way for Smith to go out than on his own terms, having made it back in nearly unthinkable fashion and leading his team to a playoff berth. Smith acknowledged as much in his retirement video, saying "even though I've got plenty of snaps left in me," he's ready to discover what awaits him in his next step in life, and first beyond football.