Kerry Collins will end his 16th NFL season as a starter Sunday when the Tennessee Titans face the Indianapolis Colts. But the 38-year-old quarterback isn't ready to retire.
Collins told *The Tennessean* he hasn't ruled out anything for next season, even starting in the NFL.
"Now is not the time to decide," said Collins, who is 2-4 as a starter this season and 3-4 when he has played in the majority of a game for the 6-9 Titans. "I'll get away from it a little bit after next week, and I'll just kind of see where things are at and see what opportunities come down the road.
"I still feel like I've got some good football left in me. I still feel like I'm throwing the ball well, and my body feels pretty good."
Collins started in the majority of Titans' games only once in the past five seasons. That was 2008, when he led Tennessee to the AFC South title, then signed a two-year, $14 million contract that expires after this season.
Collins started in the Titans' previous four games -- rookie Rusty Smith took over in Week 12 -- after tension between Titans coach Jeff Fisher and quarterback Vince Young came to a head following a Week 11 loss to the Washington Redskins, when Young injured his throwing hand.
A frustrated Young threw his shoulder pads into the stands on his way to the locker room, where he and Fisher had a heated argument. It all concluded with Fisher saying Young no longer would be his starter -- injury or not. Young, who later apologized to the coach via text message, subsequently went on season-ending injured reserve.
Young appears to have the support of Titans owner Bud Adams, who spoke to his coach and quarterback after the incident and told them to "get this thing settled" and work together.
Adams said Young told him he wanted to return to the game, and the 87-year-old will not release the former No. 3 overall draft pick.
Adams isn't happy and plans to evaluate Fisher after the season, even though the league's longest-tenured coach is under contract for 2011 at an estimated $6.5 million.
Fisher, reluctant to speak about his situation with Young, is quick to point out Collins' positives.
"He's still making good throws, and he takes good care of himself," Fisher said. "He has the arm strength left. Those kinds of guys are hard to find.
"He's not throwing with the accuracy that he'd like to, but he's still adjusting and making good throws for us."
The accuracy issues have sprouted, in part, because of two injuries to Collins' throwing hand this season, but he's not one to make excuses, according to backup quarterback Chris Simms.
"There's no doubt that when your fingers are beat up as a quarterback, that's about as annoying as it gets," Simms said. "But you know, Kerry is the same guy every day. He doesn't tell anybody that anything's bothering him.
"He's old school, Pennsylvania, just sucks it up and comes out and gives his best every day."
Collins, a country music writer in his time away from football, will continue to call Nashville home, no matter where he's playing quarterback.
"We're going to live here in Nashville regardless, that's the thing," he said. "If I'm going to go play somewhere else and it's the right opportunity, the right situation, I'll go do it.
"We do love it here. We're going to stay here whenever football is done, whenever that is. But I need to keep in consideration that as long as I can still play and there are opportunities, and it's an opportunity that fits, then I'm going to do it."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
