Ray Lewis
Image Credit: Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Brett Favre has ruined retirement for every pro athlete. He was the boy who cried wolf — the guy who retired and unretired so many freaking times that when he finally did decide to hang up the cleats and go home to Mississippi to send picture messages to a female reporter, no one cared.

Meanwhile, Ray Lewis is on the final stop of his retirement tour — in New Orleans for Super Bowl XLVII. What better way to conclude a storied NFL career than with another ring? That’s the plan for the Baltimore Ravens.

But what if after Sunday’s game Lewis decides he still has more to offer? What if he questions his decision to call it quits?

His teammate Ed Reed isn’t so sure that Lewis will be done after Sunday. “Maybe he’ll play 10 games next year,” Reed told the media on Monday.

Maybe he will, but I highly doubt it. It appears Lewis already has his post-football career lined up as he’s agreed to join ESPN’s team of football analysts. Lewis will be the 14th guy sitting at the desk in Bristol. He’s also eager to watch his son follow in his footsteps in Miami as he begins his college career next season.

In all likelihood, it’s Reed who’s future is uncertain. I don’t see him back in Baltimore after this year and could certainly see him following Lewis and riding off into the sunset if the Ravens win Super Bowl XLVII. He’s threatened retirement the past few offseasons. But I could also see him signing with a team like New England to finish out his career. We know Bill Belichick loves him.