DENVER, July 23 (UPI) -- The Denver Broncos have called a news conference for Thursday, at which time wide receiver Rod Smith will announce his retirement.
Smith came to the Broncos in 1994 as an undrafted free agent from Missouri Southern and went on to catch 849 passes for 11,389 yards and 68 touchdowns in 183 games. He is the NFL career leader among undrafted players in all three categories.
He underwent a second hip surgery last January and and was placed on the reserve/retired list the following month.
Smith was selected to the Pro Bowl three times and ranks seventh on the Broncos' games-played list.
He caught at least 70 passes a year for 12 straight seasons, tying him for the second-longest such streak in league history. His 849 receptions puts him 12th on the all-time list.
Smith caught 152 yards worth of passes in Denver's Super Bowl victory over Atlanta in 1999. That is the fifth best performance in Super Bowl history.
