After 16 seasons, Steve Smith sounds like he'll retire after Sunday's game

Ten wide receivers were drafted before Smith back in 2001 and he's the last one standing

By Ryan Wilson

Dec 28, 2016 at 1:55 pm ET • 1 min read

Steve Smith was the 11th receiver drafted in 2001, 69 picks after David Terrell, the first wideout to go off the board, went eighth overall to the Bears. Of those 11 players, Smith is the only one still active, which was the case in 2015 too.

But after Sunday's game, which will be the 219th regular-season get-together of Smith's career, he'll close the chapter on the 2001 class.

"I'm about 89 percent sure," said a smiling Smith, who wears No. 89, via PFT. "I'm pretty sure I know what I want to do. I've got great support from my family, my wife supports me whichever way I want to go. My boys want me to still play, but there's a little girl, my baby who wants her daddy. Football is a conduit, something that gives you a platform, good and bad, but it gives you an opportunity. Football has given me more than I probably could give football back. ... This is probably my last game."

This isn't a surprise; Smith has hinted that retirement was in his future, and following last Sunday's loss to the Steelers that knocked the Ravens out of the playoffs, he posted this message to Instagram: "One more Game, The game of heart, No quit."

Originally, the 2015 season was supposed to be Smith's last, but an Achilles injury after seven games gave him a change of heart. Now Smith sounds ready to hang them up, even though coach John Harbaugh said last month that he'd gladly welcome the 37-year-old back in 2017.

"If he wants to come back, he's welcome. Absolutely," Harbaugh said at the time, via ESPN.com. "You like every good football player you can get. ... He's had an unbelievably awesome career."

Smith, who spent 13 seasons in Carolina before joining the Ravens in 2014, had his best season in 2005, when caught 103 balls for 1,563 yards and 12 touchdowns. He's had eight 1,000-yard seasons, including his first in Baltimore, and his absence will leave the Ravens without one of their biggest playmakers. This season, he led the team touchdown receptions (5), and ranked third in receptions (67) and receiving yards (765).

As for those 10 other wide receivers drafted ahead of Smith? Here's the list: