Veteran wide receiver Steve Smith announced on Monday afternoon that he’ll be retiring after the 2015 season (via the Ravens’ official Twitter account). Smith said that he knew back in April that this would be his final season, as Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun tweets.
Smith, 36, spent 14 years with the Panthers up until his surprising release following the 2013 season. The veteran later told reporters that he was planning on retiring after the 2014 campaign as a Panther. In March, Smith would go on to sign with the Ravens and last season he proved that he still has plenty left in the tank. In 16 regular season games, Smith, hauled in 79 catches for 1,065 yards and 6 touchdowns, easily topping his performance in the year prior for Carolina. Signed through the 2016 season, Smith will be walking away from a $3MM base salary in the final season of his contract.
Smith stands as Carolina’s all-time leading receiver with 836 receptions for 12,197 yards and 67 touchdowns receiving. For his career, Smith has caught 915 passes for a total of 13,262 yards and 73 touchdowns. It seems possible that Smith, a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time First-Team All-Pro, could be inducted into the Hall of Fame once he’s eligible.
Not surprising at all, given that when he signed his three-year deal with Baltimore, everyone sort of knew it was really a two-year pact. Tremendous career and a great competitor. Baltimore has some interesting younger options behind Smith, but at least one of them is really going to have to step up this season to prove themselves as Smith’s heir apparent.