Former Vikings center and St. Paul native Matt Birk is considering retirement following the Ravens' 23-20 loss to the Patriots in Sunday's AFC Championship game.
Asked by reporters after the game if he will retire, Birk was quoted in the Baltimore Sun as saying, "We'll see, we'll see. This will sting a little bit. Just take time, get away for a while, and then make that decision with my family."
Birk, 35, was a sixth-round draft pick of the Vikings in 1998. His rookie season also ended painfully with the 15-1 Vikings falling to Atlanta in the NFC Championship game. Birk played in one other conference title game, a 41-0 loss to the Giants at the end of the 2000 season.
He played 10 seasons with the Vikings before signing a three-year, $12 million deal with the Ravens in 2009.
