Free-agent veteran wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. announced Wednesday he will retire after Week 17's game against the Cincinnati Bengals, ending his career after 16 NFL seasons.
Smith spent the last three years with the Ravens, continuing his reign as one of the best receivers in the game.
The five-time Pro Bowler did have to battle through injuries in the process, though, missing nine games in 2015 with a torn Achilles. It looked like an unceremonious ending to his career considering he had announced before that season he was going to call it quits.
But playing in just seven games fueled him to return, as he announced he would be back in Baltimore come 2016:
This is the final year of his three-year contract, and he has 67 catches, 765 yards and five touchdowns heading into the season finale.
As one of the most tenacious competitors the game has ever seen, Smith continued to excel as one of Joe Flacco's go-to guys despite being 37 years old, via the NFL:
Smith made his name with the Carolina Panthers, posting seven 1,000-plus-yard seasons in 13 years with the organization.
His name is all over Carolina's record books, and he boasts Hall of Fame-level numbers:
He played a big part in the Panthers winning the NFC title in 2003 as they fell just short to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVIII.
It will be the one glaring absence on his career resume as Smith will ride off into the sunset without a championship.
However, that should do little to take away from the stellar career he pieced together for 16 years.
Read more Baltimore Ravens news on BleacherReport.com
from Bleacher Report - Baltimore Ravens http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2683512-steve-smith-sr-to-retire-latest-comments-and-reaction
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