After retiring in Baltimore nearly a decade ago, Steve Smith Sr. continues to find a role with the Ravens on gameday, making a cameo with the team’s marching band during Sunday’s game against Buffalo.
Smith made his way toward the bass drum during a timeout of NBC’s Sunday Night Football broadcast, proving an enthusiastic, albeit often off-beat, musician as the band performed before a sold-out M&T Bank Stadium. The diminutive wide receiver, dressed up in the band’s purple-and-black uniform, had previously taken charge of the entire musical ensemble, conducting the Marching Ravens atop the elevated podium during a full-field, pre-game routine.
According to the team’s official website, Smith’s musical foray came as a part of his YouTube series with the NFL entitled “The NFL’s Most Interesting Jobs with Steve Smith,” which has sent the five-time Pro Bowler to venues around the country to ply different gameday trades. However, Smith’s trip to Baltimore Sunday was particularly special, one of just two teams the receiver played for across his 16-year NFL career.
He's good at so many things, but this might be @SteveSmithSr89's true calling 🥁
📺: #BUFvsBAL on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/K6Knm0R5Ne— NFL (@NFL) September 30, 2024
Standing at just 5’9, Smith’s slight frame saw him overlooked by most Division 1 programs, attending nearby JUCO Santa Monica College alongside fellow legendary receiver Chad Ochocinco before transferring to Utah. Smith was selected in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft after finishing his college career in Salt Lake City, proving particularly dynamic on kick returns, and assumed a starting role with the Carolina Panthers by his second season.
In 2005, Smith cruised past Santana Moss to claim the NFL receiving title and one of two career first-team All-Pro nominations, leading Carolina to the postseason for just the third time in franchise history. He would string together five more 1,000-yard seasons over the next seven years, but after a 34-year-old Smith slumped to a disappointing 2014 season, the Panthers deemed him surplus to requirements and released their all-time leading receiver.
The Ravens contacted Smith within minutes of the news, faith that the aging wide receiver immediately repaid with a team-high 1,065-yard season as Baltimore won 10 games and reached the Divisional Round. Smith would play two additional seasons with the Ravens before announcing his retirement in January 2017 as the NFL’s seventh all-time leading receiver, seeming to express continued appreciation to Baltimore for the late-career opportunity.
While speaking on an NFL Network broadcast regarding the Ravens in 2019, Smith said, “Here’s what we need to do to beat the Patriots.” When asked about his use of the term “we,” suggesting some affiliation with the Ravens, Smith responded simply with, “Yes, we.”
Smith’s presence sparked a trademark offensive showcase from the Ravens, who continued their rebound from an 0-2 start with a 35-10 splattering of a previously undefeated Buffalo squad. Baltimore returns to action Sunday for an AFC North divisional matchup in Cincinnati at 1 p.m. ET.
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