INDIANAPOLIS -- Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed isn't the only Baltimore Ravens player contemplating retirement.
Ravens No. 1 receiver Derrick Mason also said after Saturday night's 20-3 playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts that he's undecided on his playing future. Mason, 36, will become a free agent in March.
"I got some months to think about it," Mason said. "I’m not in a rush. If I decide to play, obviously this would be a place that I’ll come back to. All the pieces are in place. But I have to think about my two little ones [children]."
Mason led the Ravens with 1,028 receiving yards this past season. He briefly retired last summer following the passing of close friend and former teammate Steve McNair. Mason sighted the emotional trauma as a major reason he briefly called it quits and admitted he has to decide if his heart is still into playing.
"Mentally and emotionally is the toughest part," Mason said candidly. "Physically, I think I’ve proven that I haven’t slowed down. That is not a worry to me. I’ve been blessed enough to stay healthy.
"So it’s all about if I want to play, if mentally I’m still in it to play another year, or two, or three -- whatever it may be. So it’s something that I’ll evaluate."