Wide receiver Derrick Mason abruptly announced his retirement Monday, a decision that surprised and confused the Ravens.
Mason, 35, the Ravens' No. 1 receiver, was entering the final year of his five-year, $20 million contract and was seeking an extension. The Ravens publicly said they were agreeable to a new contract, but no deal was imminent.
Mason's retirement would leave a huge void at wide receiver and mark a drastic setback for a team that reached the AFC championship game. But it's still unclear whether Mason intends to follow through with his retirement.
"This is a decision that I've made," Mason told ESPN News. "If I do change my mind, it won't be because of the Ravens. It'll be because of some other things - my family and talking with other people. I still got to talk with some coaches over there. As far as financially, I don't think they can do anything to sway me."
The news caught the Ravens off guard, especially because Mason said he has not been "enthused to get up and work out." A team official said Mason worked out at team headquarters only hours before the announcement.
"For any player to retire, he has to send a letter to the NFL stating this," said Kevin Byrne, the Ravens' senior vice president of public relations. "Derrick Mason has not done that."
There has been speculation that Mason could be using retirement as leverage for a new contract. When he first sought an extension in March, Mason said he didn't know whether he would return to the Ravens without a new deal and would "explore other options" if he didn't have one. He would have earned $3 million in 2009.
Lamont Smith, Mason's agent, confirmed in an e-mail to The Baltimore Sun that the 12-year veteran has retired. Mason, who played eight seasons with the Tennessee Titans and four with the Ravens, did not return phone calls from The Baltimore Sun.
Smith said Mason's decision had "little if anything to do with Baltimore's refusal to grant him an extension." The agent added that Mason would not be doing any interviews for the next two weeks.
"He stated that emotionally and physically he did not feel up to the enormous demands that professional football requires to compete at the level that he is accustomed to competing," Smith said in the statement. "He asked me to delay the announcement of this decision out of respect for his former teammate Steve McNair. Given that Derrick just reached this decision Friday, he has not as of yet filed official papers with the league offices. We expect that he will do this when he gets around to it."
