Jimmy Smith, Ravens Agree to New Contract: Latest Details, Comments, Reaction

Star cornerback Jimmy Smith and the Baltimore Ravens have agreed to terms on a new contract.   

Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun shared news of the deal Tuesday and noted it also gives the Ravens some security for a player who was entering a walk year:

The Ravens confirmed on Twitter that Smith verbally agreed to a deal:

Garrett Downing of BaltimoreRavens.com provided comments from Smith about his reaction to the contract and what comes next after he agreed to his new deal:

"

I'm tremendously happy. I plan on getting rings. ...

For me it was never truly about being the highest paid corner. I knew I couldn't be that on this team and be here just because of the talent already spread around. You have to pay other people, so I knew that going into it. ...

Now I can just focus on getting healthy and getting back on the field. That's all of my focus.

"

According to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun, Smith's salary will average out to about $10 million per season:

ProFootballTalk expanded on the details of the deal, noting that the extension is for four years, totals $48 million and involves $21 million fully guaranteed.

Smith's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, tweeted out a picture of the star cornerback as he prepared to publicly announce his new deal with the Ravens:

Around the NFL weighed in on the deal and compared Smith to other players at his position:

When healthy, Smith has been a valuable asset for Baltimore's defense with 36 career passes defended, per Pro-Football-Reference.com, but staying on the field has been a problem. In four NFL seasons, the 26-year-old has only played all 16 games once (2013). He appeared in eight games last season before being placed on injured reserve due to a foot injury that required surgery. 

The Ravens are in a state of transition due to salary-cap limitations, but they have seen enough in Smith—when healthy—to invest in him long term. Head coach John Harbaugh's defense needs him desperately after finishing 23rd in passing yards allowed last season. 

Few teams have been able to consistently succeed as much as the Ravens with all of the pieces they have to replace every year. General manager Ozzie Newsome has proved to be a master at evaluating talent and keeping pieces he believes fit what this franchise needs. 

Smith's new deal clearly suggests the Ravens have faith in him to become a cornerstone who can be healthy and expand on his production now that he's started 24 games over the past two seasons.