Rapoport: Steve Smith will be back on the field in 2016

Steve Smith's supposed last season just didn't go the way he wanted it to. Smith's season started with mediocrity from his team, and ended with a terrible Achilles injury. It just simply wasn't the way Smith wanted to go out.

And it seems as if that's not the way he will close his great career. According to NFL's Ian Rapoport, Smith is strongly considering a return in 2016 for his final ride. Rapoport's sources believe that if Smith feels like his old self after this injury, then 2016 is a go.

While we've yet to hear directly from Smith about what he plans do, practically everybody has been rampantly gossiping about Smith's almost definite return to the Ravens. Even Coach John Harbaugh sparked the rumor mill by stating that in his mind, "Senior" was going to be back on the team to fulfill the final year of his three-year contract.

Just almost two months after suffering the injury, Smith is now out of his walking boot. Achilles injuries are difficult to recover from, and there is no sure guarantee that a player Smith's age can recover and continue to be productive. The Ravens will certainly need Smith to be just that, as the team needs to develop Breshad Perriman alongside a talented veteran before throwing him into the fire as a number one receiver.