Eagles
Former Eagles WR Torrey Smith Announces Retirement
Penn State Great Valley MBA, Penn State Berks Undergrad, Eagle Scout and Vigil Honor, IT Service Manager. I joined Sports Talk Philly in 2017 and root for all the Philly teams (as well as their minor league counter parts).
All posts by Paul BowmanPublished13 Sep 2019
By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor 
The Eagles signed Torrey Smith in the 2017 offseason to provide a deep threat for the team.
His season with the team was underwhelming despite a big the week 13 game against the Rams, the same week Carson Wentz was lost for the remainder of the season. It was that game where Smith caught six passes for 100 yards, but that was not what changed how Eagles fans viewed the Smith signing.
Entering the postseason, Smith seemed to be a poor signing. Just 430 yards and two touchdowns was not what fans thought they’d be getting from Smith and 13 of 16 games where the Eagles got 30 or less yards from their starting deep threat. It was a time when things certainly seemed bleak for many fans of the Eagles who had little to no faith in backup quarterback Nick Foles.
Then the playoffs came and Smith helped an Eagles team that the national media had counted out claim it’s first Super Bowl Championship by putting up 157 yards and a touchdown in the Eagles three playoff games, averaging just over 12 yards per catch.
It was one play that truly changed the view of Smith for Philadelphia fans, however.
Shot 7 – Early third quarter the Eagles keep going full-throttle, striking on a shot play from the fringe area on a Flea Flicker to Torrey Smith. Beautifully thrown by Nick Foles, great catch over the shoulder by Smith. Nice pass pro from Big V as well. #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/PNayZduSl5
— Fran Duffy (@fduffy3) January 22, 2018
Despite this, the team had to make some cap space following their Super Bowl Season and the team was able to clear Smith’s $5 million cap hit by shipping him to the Carolina Panthers for cornerback Daryl Worley, who was soon after arrested, released by the team and, not shockingly, signed by the Raiders.
Perhaps the most important piece of signing Smith was not his on-field production, but how he helped to build the team’s current locker room culture and the activism that he, like so many other Eagles on the team, have had within their greater communities.
Take a look at his announcement, made through the Uninterrupted Twitter Page, below.
Dear Football, Thank you for showing me how to be a man.
Sincerely Yours, @TorreySmithWR | #MoreThanAnAthlete #SincerelyYours pic.twitter.com/QvaFtoGnzN
— UNINTERRUPTED (@uninterrupted) September 13, 2019
