The Ravens have said publicly that they won’t trade receiver Steve Smith. Privately, they’re reportedly saying the same thing.
Adam Schefter of ESPN says that the Ravens have received calls about Smith in advance of the trade deadline. Teams have been told “in no uncertain terms” that Smith isn’t available.
The Ravens may feel differently about that one if they lose today to the Chargers, falling to 1-7. At some point, it makes sense to get something for him, and to give him a chance to finish his career with a contender.
Smith has said he’d quit if traded, but that was before the most recent loss, to the Cardinals. Lose to the Chargers and it will truly be over for the Ravens in 2015. (Win, and it still may be over.)
Maybe the resistance to trade Smith comes from the fact that the Ravens are rarely in this position. Maybe coach John Harbaugh doesn’t want to do anything that would reflect the mentality of a losing team; trading key players would do that.
Still, it’s likely worth making another call to Baltimore if the one-win Ravens lose to the two-win Chargers later today.