Jimmy Smith Announces His Retirement

Smith produced one of the franchise’s signature moments in Super Bowl XLVII in only his second season. With the Ravens clinging to a 34-31 lead late in the game, Smith preserved the victory over San Francisco by making back-to-back stops on the goal line during the 49ers’ final drive.

Early in that Super Bowl season, Smith suffered a sports hernia and was relegated to special teams when he first returned. Smith was frustrated in that role, but Harbaugh knew what the young corner was capable of, and predicted he would play a bigger role come playoff time.

“I believe I said, ‘You stick with this, you keep pushing through this, and by the end of the season you’re going to make us the play that wins the Super Bowl,'” Harbaugh said.

“This is not a lie,” Smith said, looking at Harbaugh and smiling.

At 6-foot-2, rangy and athletic, Smith could defend a variety of receivers and Baltimore’s secondary was always better with him on the field. However, Smith was willing to sacrifice his body to make plays, and injuries took a major toll on him throughout his career.

Staying healthy became Smith’s biggest obstacle. He missed at least four games in seven of his 11 seasons and some of his most serious injuries included a sports hernia in 2012, and a season-ending Lisfranc foot fracture in 2014 when Smith was playing the best football of career. Eventually, the injuries chased Smith from the game.

“I’ve been through too many,” Smith said. “It was always an uphill climb for me, trying to get back to who I was before. It was a battle early on, and the older you get it becomes tougher. I’m kind of over just having to battle back, constantly.”