Steve Smith is retiring from the NFL after dealing with ongoing knee issues.

Smith was a second round pick by the New York Giants in 2007 and caught 245 balls for 2,641 yards and 12 touchdowns during 64 career NFL games.

"I've been blessed to play the game that I love at the highest level for the past six years. I will always cherish my time with the New York Giants and our Super Bowl victory in 2007," Smith said in a statement through the Bucs.

"This was not an easy decision," Smith added, "but it's the right decision for me at this time."

Smith played for the St. Louis Rams last season and was most recently with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

A March prank call of former Buffalo Bills' general manager Buddy Nix and his counterpart with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Mark Dominik, has become a more serious situation.

Two 20-year-olds from Plymouth, Massachusetts have received federal charges of intentionally intercepting a wire communication and making a telephone call without disclosing their identity with the intent to annoy or harass the person at the called number.

The penalty carries a maximum of five years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

Prosecutors said Barber and Kaiser then sold the unauthorized recording to Deadspin.

LeGarrette Blount accepted a reduction of salary from $1.7 million to approximately $700,000 to complete a draft-day trade between the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Patriots acquired Blount from the Buccaneers for a late round pick.

Greg Schiano and six members of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' coaching staff will visit with Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots.

Belichick's son Steve was a long snapper at Rutgers in Schiano's final season as coach.

Belichick and Schiano have never actually coached together despite their close relationship.

The Patriots and Buccaneers play each other this season in Week 3.