Steve Smith's stint in Baltimore was not a one-year stay.
After Saturday night's loss to the Patriots, the veteran receiver wrote on social media that he plans to return for his 15th NFL season.
"I've enjoyed every moment and couldn't have asked for a better fan base," Smith wrote. "Look forward to a better season next year and watch us go WIN IT ALL."
Smith signed a three-year contract with the Ravens in March, so he's already signed through next year. His status was only in question because he will turn 36 next season and it's unknown how much longer he plans to continue playing.
Smith showed this season that he still has plenty of football left in him.
He led the Ravens with 79 catches for 1,065 yards and six touchdowns during the regular season, and immediately became a leader in the locker room after joining the team. The season ended sooner than Smith and the Ravens wanted, but he said after the game that he "absolutely" feels food about what the group accomplished.
"There's nothing we did out there that would say otherwise," he said.
His return next season will help solidify a receiving corps that could be someone in flux because Torrey Smith is an unrestricted free agent. Torrey Smith has said on numerous occasions that his preference is to stay in Baltimore, and bringing back both Smiths would allow the Ravens to keep their top two targets.
The Ravens will work out their roster holes over the next several weeks and months – they have 29 pending free agents –but the announcement that Steve Smith plans to return checks one big item off that list.
