Smitty looks pretty sharp donning that Carolina blue jacket in the picture above, doesn’t he? So how about a gold one next?
Well, we’ll find out if Carolina Panthers legend Steve Smith will be adding a second jacket to his wardrobe within the year, as he’s up for eternal residency at the Pro Football Hall of Fame starting in 2022. He—along with other notables such as fellow wide receiver Anquan Boldin, quarterback Tony Romo, return man extraordinaire Devin Hester and defensive linemen DeMarcus Ware, Vince Wilfork and Robert Mathis—is now officially eligible to be elected to Canton, Ohio for the first time.
Smith was drafted by the Panthers in the third round of the 2001 NFL draft out of the University of Utah. He would go on to spend 13 seasons in Carolina, amassing 12,197 yards and 67 touchdowns in becoming the franchise’s all-time leading receiver.
His greatest year, perhaps, came in 2005, when Smith led the entire league in receptions (103), receiving yards (1,563) and receiving touchdowns (12). He still remains as the most recent player to achieve the triple crown of receiving.
In what can painfully be described as an unceremonious, bloody and full-of-guts departure following the 2013 season, Smith signed on with the Baltimore Ravens in 2014. Even as a “Sr.,” he proved he still had it, totaling 2,534 yards and 14 scores over his three years in purple and black.
After 16 years of proving to be one of the most dangerous, incendiary and colorful players in the game, Smith announced his retirement after the 2016 campaign. He currently sits at No. 8 on the all-time receiving list and is the only player of the top-nine on said list that has yet to be enshrined.
Smith and the Panthers organization have since patched up their once rocky relationship, as 89 would be inducted into the Hall of Honor on Oct. 6, 2019. More recently, he received one heck of a standing ovation at the team’s Fan Fest event at Bank of America Stadium this past Friday.
And hey, maybe there’s one more emotional standing ovation to be had for the pass-catching great before it’s all said and done.
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