Pennington’s NFL future is uncertain
MIAMI LAKES – Chad Pennington’s latest comeback is under way, even though he’s not sure he’ll play again.
The Miami Dolphins quarterback has completed the first phase of rehabilitation from season-ending shoulder surgery, and will fly Wednesday to Birmingham, Ala., to consult with Dr. James Andrews, who performed the operation Oct. 2. They’ll map out a program for the next six weeks, and Pennington said he may wait until March to decide whether to play in 2010.
“I can’t make the decision until I get to the point where I see how I feel and how it responds,” he said at a Dolphins luncheon. “Then I can say I’ve given it everything I can give it to make the right decision for me and my family.
“I’m going full steam ahead for the next five months. My goal is by March 1 to be ready to work out for any team, including this team, and be able to make a decision where I can go into an offseason program full steam ahead not considered an injured athlete.”
The operation was the third on Pennington’s throwing shoulder. Twice he has returned from injuries to win NFL Comeback Player of the Year, including in 2009, when he led the Dolphins to their first playoff berth in eight years.
Pennington’s contract expires after this season, and he said he has not talked with the Dolphins about returning next year. His replacement, second-year pro Chad Henne, has staked a strong claim to the No. 1 job by going 4-2 as a starter.
Pennington, 33, said he would consider remaining in Miami next year as Henne’s backup rather than taking a No. 1 job elsewhere.