Odell Beckham Jr.'s comeback season fell short of the storybook finish in the Super Bowl, which would have put him right back where he suffered his major knee injury two years ago.
But Beckham left no doubt after the Ravens' 17-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs that he has not written his final chapter.
"To me, if there is anything I felt about myself – regardless of anybody's opinion or anything like that – is that I know that I can still play football, and I know that I still have [stuff] in the tank," Beckham said.
"It's just unfortunate – the way that it went today – because, to me, it's so much bigger than one person in this room; it was [about] just being able to have that moment with these guys you've worked so hard with. So, for me, as far as my future, [I'll] just take a step back, breathe for a second, pick [my] chin up, just know that life goes on, and we'll figure out what's next after that."
Beckham will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason after inking a one-year deal (with reported void years tacked on).
Beckham caught 35 passes for 565 yards and three touchdowns. In the Ravens' two playoff games, he added four more grabs for 34 yards. The Ravens turned to him late in Sunday's loss to make some clutch catches, but Beckham and Lamar Jackson couldn't connect on a couple deep shots.
It was a special year for Beckham, who said he took some convincing to come to Baltimore but loved the culture and everything about it.
Asked if he would want to come back to the Ravens next season, Beckham said "I don't know the political answer to that question, but I've enjoyed every single moment."
"I absolutely love this place," he said. "This felt like a home. It felt amazing for me. The city of Baltimore ... I wanted it for the city of Baltimore more than anything. I wanted them to be able to have that moment [when] we're all standing on the field, and The Bank is rocking, but just came up short."
Beckham was a mentor to rookie first-round receiver Zay Flowers, and that continued after Flowers' brutal goal-line fumble.
"I was just letting Zay know he's going to be a special player, and this is a moment in his career that ... It's never going to break you; it's always going to make you," Beckham said.
"For me, it was about whatever role that they wanted me to play, I was going to be that. And Zay is forever 'Little Bro' to me, and all of these guys in that room can call – I'm one call away any single time, regardless of the outcome today."
