Steve Smith BALTIMORE, MD – NOVEMBER 01: Wide receiver Steve Smith #89 of the Baltimore Ravens eludes Jason Verrett #22 and strong safety Jahleel Addae #37 of the San Diego Chargers during the first half at M&T Bank Stadium on November 1, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Steve Smith might not be done yet.

The Ravens receiver, who is out for the season with a torn Achilles in what was supposed to be his final NFL campaign, is “eyeing a return” for the 2016 season, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.

Rapoport reports that people close to Smith have been skeptical for a while that this would be his final season.

All of this comes after Smith announced his retirement prior to the start of the season. Even at that point, people close to him doubted that he was really going to walk off into the sunset. And even when he exited the field in horrible pain with a towel over his face, the sources were confident the injury would not mark the end of his career.

Here are five reasons Smith should make another run.

1. He has one more year left on the three-year contract he signed before the 2014 season.

2. It would be awfully sad if his Hall of Fame caliber career ended with him being carted off the field in an incredible amount of pain.

3. It’s not as if Smith is cooked. He had 79 receptions for 1,065 yards in 2014 and was off to a great start this year before the injury, with 46 catches for 670 yards in seven games. He currently ranks 11th all-time in receiving yards and could climb two or three more spots with another good year.

4. Smith needs to return for the greater good of NFL fans, because it will be hard to survive without his legendary trash talk.

5. Santa Claus might not be safe if Smith has too much free time in December.

Long live Steve Smith.

About Alex Putterman

Alex is a writer and editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. He has written for The Atlantic, VICE Sports, MLB.com, SI.com and more. He is a proud alum of Northwestern University and The Daily Northwestern. You can find him on Twitter @AlexPutterman.