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Pagano wouldn't be shocked if Reggie Wayne returned

There was a time when Reggie Wayne getting shut out in a playoff game was inconceivable. After Sunday, it's happened two weeks in a row.

At 36 and coming off one of his least productive seasons, it's fair to wonder if Wayne has reached the end of the line. After the loss, Wayne was asked about his future plans. The wideout is not under contract for 2015.

"I haven't thought about that," Wayne said, via ESPN.com. "We just lost."

On Monday, Colts coach Chuck Pagano was asked about Wayne's future and whether the pass-catcher would be back for a 15th season in Indy.

"You guys know the way Reggie is wired," he said. "You know his work ethic, you know his mindset. Would I be shocked? No."

Wayne missed time with an elbow injury and also finished the season playing with a torn triceps muscle. The injury clearly appeared to negatively affect his play. He said Monday he would "absolutely" undergo surgery to repair the muscle.

Wayne didn't score a touchdown in his final 10 games and never had more than four receptions from Week 12 on. By the end of the year he'd become a liability on an offense that had more capable pass-catchers in T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief and Coby Fleener.

Pagano -- like everyone connected with the Colts -- has endless respect for what Wayne has accomplished in his career. But it was hard not to think of Wayne when Pagano talked about changes coming in the Colts locker room.

"I told them today, I said just embrace this moment that we have right now, these five 10 minutes we've got in this room because there's going to be new faces and there are faces that aren't going to be here next year," he said. "That's the NFL. That's the nature of the business."

The latest Around The NFL Podcast recaps Championship Sunday, and breaks down the Seahawks' historic comeback against the Packers. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.