After a brief sojourn into retirement, Baltimore WR Derrick Mason has decided that his playing days are not quite done and instead of spending this fall relaxing on a beach or hitting his local links course, he’ll be back to catch passes for the Ravens once more.

According to the Ravens official website, Mason let the team know this morning that he had changed his mind and would be returning for his 13th season. Mason is currently the Ravens’ single season receptions leader with 103 receptions during the 2007 campaign. He also has the second-most career receptions (337) in the team’s history.

Here’s what Mason had to say about his decision:

“It was a tough decision, but I think it was a good decision for me to come back. I needed to evaluate my life, football and my career. The last several weeks thinking about it and talking with my family was an important time for me and them. I still have an intense fire inside me, and I want to play. My family and I wanted to finish it out the right way. I felt like I had left something undone, and I wanted to finish it. I believe this is a good example for my son and my daughter on how to be thoughtful and also follow through.”

Given Baltimore’s lack of quality depth at the position, the team is likely ecstatic that Mason chose to play out at least one more season with the club. Mason will likely start the season as the Ravens’ number one receiver and should provide QB Joe Flacco the reliable target he utilized to great success last year.

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