Steve Smith opined on Thursday that age is just a number.
The Ravens wideout repeatedly laughed off questions from scribes about his senior status -- he's 36 -- but gave an honest answer when asked if he planned to play past 40 like Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.
"Jerry Rice is obviously the greatest wide receiver to ever play, and I really don't have the family structure to chase 40, to be honest," Smith said, per The Baltimore Sun. "I have got a lot of things on my to-do list that don't have anything to do with football. I'm going to take it day-by-day, but I will not be playing until I'm 40."
Smith never questioned returning for a 15th NFL season, announcing that he would be back in 2015 immediately after January's playoff loss to the Patriots.
"I left here knowing what my plans were," Smith said Thursday, joking that he still looks "halfway decent" on the field.
Good thing, because the Ravens still see Smith as their No. 1 wideout while they wait on first-round rookie Breshad Perriman to grow into the role.
It's fair to wonder which Smith we'll get come September: The player who chalked up four 100-yard outings in his first six games last season -- or the one held to under 90 yards in all but one of his final 10 regular-season contests of 2015.
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