https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ns-return/amp/
Many are still confused as to what happened between Smith and the Ravens. So we tried to figure out what transpired.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Smith and the Ravens had agreed on a contract per the basic terms (four years, $35 million), with incentives that would have pushed the total value to $50 million. Then, the player decided to back out.
This happened, coincidentally (or not), after Chandler Jones agreed to terms with the Raiders, and after Von Miller agreed to terms with the Bills.
Smith and his agent then proposed a different deal to the Ravens. The Ravens accepted the revised terms. They were then told that Smith would make a decision the next day.
The next day, Smith and his agent proposed a dramatically different deal. The Ravens passed, and that was that.
Many have assumed that Smith had something else in hand. He didn’t. He remains a free agent, with no obvious or apparent deals. And the money in free agency already is drying up.
It’ll be interesting to see whether Smith goes back to the Ravens at some point, seeking the deals away from which he walked. It also will be interesting to see whether the Ravens would put those deals back on the table.