Steve Smith Sr. says he’ll quit the NFL if the Baltimore Ravens tried to trade him. The veteran receiver Smith wants to ride out the remainder of his NFL career with the Ravens, as stated by the team’s official Twitter account.
Steve Smith said he'd quit today if the #Ravens traded him. John Harbaugh said there's "no chance" the #Ravens would do so.
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 23, 2015
Interestingly enough, Smith and his son, Peyton, are on completely different pages as far as which team Smith should finish his NFL career. Smith’s son posted this tweet, saying the “Panthers should trade all their receivers to Baltimore and bring back my dad,” which is why the receiver made the statement about quitting if he were traded.
Loyal to the bone with his team of one-plus seasons, we hear Smith’s message loud and clear.
And, it’s no wonder the Ravens have no desire to deal Smith, because he is one of their only hopes at success on offense. So far this season, Smith has posted 36 catches for 510 yards and three touchdowns in five games. He is part of the glue holding the failing Ravens together at this point.
Reportedly, Smith has already been informed by Ozzie Newsome that the general manager has no plans on moving him before the November 3 deadline. And despite Smith’s animosity towards his former Panthers releasing him, he had nothing but admiration and gratitude to share for the team’s owner Jerry Richardson.
“I love Jerry Richardson. Since my grandfather died, he’s been a guy I really lean on as an older father figure,” Smith said during the offseason via blackandbluereview.com. “What I look to Mr. Richardson for is something greater than football. It has to do with everything he’s taught me and the opportunities he’s given me. He’s given me an opportunity here in Charlotte, that my kids will never have to deal with the surroundings that I had to growing up. I owe him everything.”
Since a trade is definitely off the table, we can only now dream, along with Smith’s son, about what could have been with Cam Newton and the Panthers if Smith was along for the ride.