SANTA CLARA — Torrey Smith spent part of his bye week in Philadelphia, of all places. The Eagles were heavily rumored to want the 27-year-old wide receiver. Smith often flies back to the East Coast, has a home in Baltimore and his in-laws live in Philly.
Now that the trade deadline has come and gone for the 1-6 49ers, Smith wasn’t afraid to admit he thought about what life would be like on a different NFL team.
“The selfish side of you, you think sometimes a change of scenery would be a good thing,” Smith said. “But I know I’m very committed to everyone in this locker room. I’m a 49er. I’m going to go out there and play my ass off for these guys.”
It’s hard to blame Smith for seeking greener pastures. His statistics have suffered mightily since his days as a Baltimore Raven weapon and the 49ers have a 6-17 record since the beginning of last season. So far this season, Smith has 32 receptions for 199 yards and two touchdowns. The 49ers have used both Blaine Gabbert and Colin Kaepernick at quarterback; Christian Ponder’s turn could come later this month.
But the second part of Smith’s answer is exactly why you can’t call him a free agent bust. He’s one of very few veteran leaders in the locker room that have won in the NFL before. He’s taught teammates tricks of the trade and he’s kept a positive attitude. Smith’s handled himself with class considering the current state of the 49ers, an organization he signed with in 2015 in large part because of their history. You want more Torrey Smith’s in your locker room. Not everything in this league is about stockpiling draft picks. You need respected players to help build a culture.
“That’s why I cam here: the tradition here is real,” Smith said. “This is an organization that knows what it’s like to win. They’ve been there and they know what it takes to get back there. It’ll happen at some point, but obviously it’s been a rough stretch the past few years.”
Smith said he has had an open line of communication with both coach Chip Kelly and GM Trent Baalke throughout all these trade rumors.
“It’s not something like I’m crying, banging on the doors, ‘Hey get me out of here,’” Smith said. “I understand the business side of it too. Things haven’t gone the way any of us expected them to. You’re never surprised.”
If Smith is here for the long haul, let’s hope this football team can put some more capable wide receivers around him. And if that means the 49ers have to use free agency again on the position, so be it.
Smith will have three years remaining on his $40 million deal come 2017.
