More NFL rumors amid the lockout—Steve Smith, erstwhile Pro Bowl wide receiver with the Carolina Panthers, is not happy to be there, even in the Cam Newton era, though he’s being “classy” and refusing to “tip [his] cards” about requesting a trade out of there. Smith is yet another veteran for St. Louis Rams fans to wonder about while trading continues to be proscribed, although it should be noted that according to the Pro Football Outsiders rankings, last year he was about as bad as Laurent Robinson.
Smith was last Himself in 2009, and he was last the king of wide receivers in 2008, when he caught 78 balls for 1421 yards and an NFL-leading 101.5 yards per game. He’s an interesting trade target primarily because he was so bad last season—that leaves a lot of room for negotiation in any trade talks. Between him, Terrell Owens, and Randy Moss there’ll be no shortage of useful but also potentially crazy wide receivers for the Rams (and Sam Bradford) to target, whenever the NFL lockout finally lifts.