OWINGS MILLS — Following a stellar career in the NFL that spanned 15 seasons, veteran wide receiver Derrick Mason is going to retire.
A two-time Pro Bowl selection, Mason caught 943 career passes for 12,061 yards and 66 touchdowns.
He played for the Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets and the Houston Texans.
"I’m done," Mason told 24×7 in a telephone interview. "I won’t be playing football. I only knew one way to play football, going all-out and having fun out there."
Mason, 37, caught 19 passes for 170 yards this season with the Jets and Texans after being cut by the Ravens prior to training camp.
Always a candid interview as a player, Mason plans to pursue a career in the media. He has appeared on NFL Network and other outlets since being let go by the Texans.
"I’m spending some time at home and doing as much as I can to really get entrenched in some broadcasting network whether it be nationally or do something here locally," Mason said. "I enjoy it a lot."
Other than not winning a Super Bowl, he played in one with the Titans when they lost to the St. Louis Rams, Mason leaves the game with no regrets.
"That’s one thing, I leave it healthy and able to run and walk and not take a half-hour or 45 minutes to get out of bed," Mason said. "I can jump right out of the bed and go. I don’t have lingering pains as of now. Me leaving now, even though it didn’t happen the way I wanted it to happen, I had a good run. It was fun while it lasted."
