Harbaugh hopeful that Mason will report to camp

Derrick Mason shocked many when he announced his retirement earlier this month via his agent’s website.  That being said, Mason still hasn’t filed official retirement papers with the NFL.

And after speaking with Mason, Ravens coach John Harbaugh is “optimistic and hopeful” that Mason’s retirement will be short-lived (or, technically, non-existent), according to the Associated Press.

“I think it’s real honorable what he’s doing in the sense that it would be easy for a guy to just come in and go through the motions. Derrick does not want to go through the motions,” Harbaugh said Wednesday. “He wants to make sure he’s in the right frame of mind to compete at the level he’s competed at his whole career, which is a warrior-type level.

“He’s ready physically. He’s in good shape and he’s healthy. He just wants to decide if he’s mentally ready,” Harbaugh said. “It’s really open right now. I’m optimistic and hopeful that he’ll be there, but if he’s not there, we’ll … support and respect his decision either way.”

Mason has led the Ravens in receiving in the past two seasons posting back-to-back 1,000-yards seasons.

While they have four receivers including Drew Bennett and D.J. Hackett scheduled to come in for a workout on Friday, none of those receivers could be expected to match Mason’s production from 2008.

As Ross Tucker of SI.com points out, it makes no sense why Mason would aggressively rehab his shoulder and work out at the team’s facility on the same day he announces his retirement through a site affiliated with his agent if he really didn’t intend to play this season.

Like Harbaugh, I’m “optimistic and hopeful” that Mason will return for another season.

Tags: Derrick Mason