Matt Birk Will Wait a Week or Two Before Thinking About his NFL Future

Ray Lewis might not be the only Baltimore Ravens player leaving the game on top. That’s because center Matt Birk has been flirting with retirement for several years. But the 36-year-old isn’t ready to make any bold predictions regarding his future.

Matt Birk joined The Power Trip on KFAN in Minneapolis to discuss his team’s Super Bowl victory over San Francisco, his extremely early-exit physical, the possibility that he might retire, the 49ers’ comeback attempt and the officiating during Sunday’s game.

On having his exit physical Monday morning at 7 a.m.:

“I did mine at 7 a.m. I scheduled mine first, because I thought, ‘I’m Matt freakin’ Birk. I’ll [take] the first spot.’”

On if he’s planning on retiring now:

“I am not a bright guy, but I do know this: Don’t make any decision before you have to. I normally take a week off after the season and I start working out again. Guys with not a lot of talent, that’s what they have to do in the NFL. So in a week, maybe two weeks, I’ll figure it out and see what’s going on. My mindset is I’m playing ’til I’m not, but with all that being said, I’m just a guy that’s happy to be a part of this.”

On not being surprised to see the Niners come back:

“We weren’t surprised when they made a comeback and we were fighting for our lives there at the end. We were just fortunate. I really think that we made literally one more play than they did, and that’s why we won the game.”

On the officials calling the game loosely:

“It’s the Super Bowl. You don’t want some iffy call to decide it, so just let the guys play.”

On just being happy to be a part of it:

“Guy like me, I’m just happy to be here. Every year I’m in the NFL it’s like, ‘Wow.’ It never gets old going to work for an NFL team, playing on Sundays, all those things. … Nobody’s entitled to play in a Super Bowl or win a Super Bowl. Football’s the ultimate team game. In the NFL you need all 53 guys to win a championship, and I think that’s what makes football great. I think that’s what we did this year. We had tons of injuries, tons of guys go out, tons of guys step up. And again, I’m just happy and I feel fortunate to be a part of it.”