Champ Bailey remains on a lost list of truly great players never to win a Super Bowl.
Before Sunday's loss to the Seahawks, Bailey admitted he would consider retirement. However, the Denver Broncos cornerback will try once more to grab that elusive brass ring in 2014.
"I'm not done playing football," Bailey said, per The Denver Post. "So I feel like I'm going to give myself another shot next year."
The probable future Hall of Famer played in just five games during the 2013 regular season while dealing with a litany of foot injuries. Bailey clearly has lost a step or two, and he no longer resembles the lockdown corner that quarterbacks avoided for most of his 15-year career.
Seattle Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwinbadly burned Bailey for a key 37-yard reception early in Super Bowl XLVIII, and then ran past him again late in the matchup for another third-down conversion.
The 12-time Pro Bowl selection played in the nickel before Chris Harris went down with a torn ACL, and a move to safety could be in Bailey's future. Bailey said before the Super Bowl that he wouldn't consider the move, but he was amenable to the transition following what he termed an "embarrassing" loss.
"If it makes sense," Bailey said. "It's something I'd definitely look into."
All-time great cornerbacks like Charles Woodson and Rod Woodson have found great success with the role change to safety. Bailey turns 36 in June, and with his high football IQ, a position switch might be the best thing to prolong his career.
What uniform he dons in 2014 is another matter. Bailey will carry a salary-cap hit of $10 million next season, likely far more than the Broncos are going to pay a player coming off a subpar season. If he's not willing to take a substantial pay cut, he might be gunning for that Super Bowl ring on a different team.
*The "Around The League Podcast" taped our Super Bowl XLVIII recap from MetLife Stadium right after the game. *
