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Former Panthers WR Steve Smith to retire after season

A look at some of the best pictures of Steve Smith Sr. during his career with the Panthers.

Wide receiver Steve Smith, entering his second season with the Baltimore Ravens following 13 seasons with the Panthers, announced Monday that he will retire after the 2015 season.

"This is my last season," said Smith, who still calls Charlotte home. "I'm going to retire after this, go home and be Dad and look back and enjoy things.

"I feel like it's time. My body feels great, but not everybody has this opportunity. I feel like God has given it to me, so I'm going to take it."

Smith's announcement coincided with the end of Monday's interviews at Panthers training camp.

"It's tough seeing guys you have a lot of respect for and guys you play a long time with hang it up, but that's part of the game. It has to happen at some point," center Ryan Kalil said upon hearing the news. "Steve is definitely an all-time great Panther, and he's one of my good buddies. I learned a lot from Steve even though he didn't play offensive line. The biggest thing I learned from Steve was how to practice.

"Say what you want about him, he was one of the hardest practicing guys I've ever met. The guy was full-go every single practice, no matter the part of the season."

The Panthers' all-time leader in every receiving category, Smith enters his final season near the top in the NFL record books. He currently ranks 18th all-time in receptions (915), 14th in receiving yards (13,262), 33rd in receiving touchdowns (73) and 10th in all-purpose yards (17,679).

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