Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti wondered before Super Bowl XLVII if 34-year-old Ed Reedwould change his mind about returning for a 12th NFL season based on the outcome of Sunday's game.
Per The Baltimore Sun, Reed declared emphatically in the postgame locker room that he's not ready to go out on top.
"This is not it," Reed shouted. "This is not it. I'm not done."
Reed was instrumental in the 34-31 victory, intercepting a pass and blitzing San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick on a critical two-point conversion attempt that could have tied the score in the fourth quarter.
No player celebrated the Lombardi Trophy with as much joie de vivre as New Orleans' native son. Sporting a sheriff's badge on his suit, Reed brandished a Miller High Life in one hand and a bottle of champagne in the other on his way to a night of revelry in the Big Easy.
The next step for the best free safety Bill Belichickhas ever seen is determining his NFL home for the 2013 season.
Reed will be an unrestricted free agent, and the Ravens have salary-cap limitations with Joe Flacco seeking the richest contract in the NFL. According to Sports Illustrated's Peter King, Reed was "likely on the field for the last time as a Raven" during the Super Bowl.
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.
