OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Soon-to-be free agent Torrey Smith once again made it clear that he wants to return to the Baltimore Ravens. The wide receiver said Sunday that he would prefer to remove any drama about it.
"If I had my way, obviously you'd like to get something done beforehand so I can stay here," Smith said. "I understand that this is a business and nothing is guaranteed. You just let everything play out."
If Smith and the Ravens can't get a deal completed before March 10, he would become one of four Ravens starters who would become unrestricted free agents. Running back Justin Forsett, tight end Owen Daniels and safety Darian Stewart are the others.
It makes sense for the Ravens to keep Smith. He is a dangerous deep threat for a strong-armed quarterback like Joe Flacco, and he's developed into a leader on this team. There's also no one currently on the roster with a strong enough track record to take Smith's spot as the No. 2 receiver. Kamar Aiken, Marlon Brown and Michael Campanaro all had fewer than 25 receptions this season.
The Ravens could get Smith at a good value because it's a strong free-agent class for wide receivers. While the franchise tag could remove some of the big names, four of the NFL's top 11 in receiving yards are scheduled to become free agents: Denver's Demaryius Thomas (No. 2), Dallas' Dez Bryant (No. 8), Philadelphia's Jeremy Maclin (No. 9) and Green Bay's Randall Cobb (No. 11).
Smith has expressed some disappointment in how his fourth NFL season turned out. His receiving yards (767) and average yards per catch (15.7) were career lows, and his 49 catches tied a career worst.
But Smith's career-best 11 touchdowns topped the team. This was the most touchdowns by a player with fewer than 50 catches since Randy Moss in 2004.
What doesn't get factored into his stats is flags drawn by Smith. Cornerbacks have committed an NFL-high 12 pass inference penalties against Smith for 261 yards.
"I didn't play the way I wanted to play this year," Smith said. "Was it the worse? No. Was it what I wanted? No. Everything will take care of itself and I've done some pretty good things since I've been here and there's still so much more left to give."
Smith cleaned out his locker Sunday and walked out of the team facility for possibly the last time. He is heading to the University of Miami to pursue a Master's degree in business and he hopes school will keep his mind off of free agency.
"For me, it's like home now," Smith said. "It's kind of tough to leave home at times."