INDIANAPOLIS – Has Reggie Wayne played his final NFL game?
While that appeared to be the case earlier this week when Wayne talked to long time Colts beat writer Mike Chappell, Wayne isn't officially done.
Appearing Sunday on NFL Network, Wayne didn't want to say his NFL career is complete.
"I think you know when you really turn those (retirement) papers in. That's when you actually know," Wayne said of officially being retired.
Wayne hasn't turned in those papers (yet).
In 2015, the 37-year-old Wayne joined the Patriots for a brief Training Camp stint back in August.
His last time on an NFL field was in the AFC Championship last season with the Colts.
Wayne returned to Indianapolis for a charity event in late November and spoke about how grateful he was to spend extended time with his family in his first season away from the game.
Injuries were the major story of Wayne's final two seasons in Indianapolis.
"This is the healthiest I've been in my career (so) you never know," Wayne said on Sunday morning of possibly being in a Training Camp somewhere next season.
The message Wayne gave on Sunday was far less committal than the one he told Chappell.
Wayne, the Colts all-time leader in wins (143) and games played (211), said to Chappell that an official retirement would likely be coming in a few weeks.
"Yeah, I'm done," Wayne told Chappell.
"It was fun, but it's time. It's just time. Whenever you can admit that you're done, you know you're done.''
If Wayne does indeed close the book on a Hall of Fame caliber career he will see his name in the top 10 of several NFL categories.
Wayne ranks No. 7 in NFL history in catches (1,070) and No. 8 in yards (14,345).
In a roundtable discussion on Sunday with Marshall Faulk, Kurt Warner and Michael Irvin, Wayne had this to say about knowing when it's time to put the cleats away for good.
"In my opinion, I don't think you're ever going to be 100 percent ready (to retire)," Wayne said.
"You always feel like you can play. You always want to be that guy that keeps playing and beat the laws of nature. I think you just have to listen to your body. As you get older you start getting more injuries. I think that's something you really have to start paying attention to."
