Ravens TE Dallas Clark considering retirement

One of the greatest tight ends of all-time is thinking about calling it quits.

Jan 16, 2014, 2:26 PM UTC

Patrick Smith

After 11 seasons in the National Football League, Baltimore Ravens tight end Dallas Clark is unsure if he will play in the 2014 season, according to FOX Sports' Alex Marvez. Clark believes he will know in a month whether he will return for another season or retire.

If Clark does decide to walk away, he'll leave the game as one of the best tight ends to ever play. A mainstay with the Indianapolis Colts during the Peyton Manning years of 2003-11, Clark won a Super Bowl ring in '06 and had a second appearance in '10.

Clark, 34, has 505 receptions, 5,665 yards and 53 touchdowns to his credit. His yardage ranks him 14th on the all-time list for tight ends, coming in ahead of such legends as John Mackey and Jerry Smith. Clark’s best season came without question in ‘09, when he hauled in 100 catches for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns.

For a time, Clark was one of the premier players in the league, evidenced by his contract of six years and $41 million contract in ‘08, making him the highest paid tight end in history at the time. However, injuries would start to plague him soon after signing the deal.

During that stretch, Clark set franchise records for yards, catches and touchdowns for a tight end. One of his best games came against the Houston Texans in October of ‘09, when he caught a career-high 14 passes.

In ‘10, Clark only dressed in six games because of a wrist injury that landed him on injured reserve. Clark was held back again by the same wrist in 2011, playing in 11 contests before the Colts decided to cut ties with the former University of Iowa star.

In '12, Clark signed on with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and lasted a full 16 games, catching 47 passes for 435 yards and four touchdowns. He then moved onto Baltimore this season, playing in 12 games but starting none behind Ed Dickson and then Dennis Pitta before not appearing in the last four games of the season.