Kennison

DENVER -- Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan will meet with his team before deciding the fate of wide receiver Eddie Kennison, who told the coach he was retiring and then reconsidered.

The meeting with players and coaches will be Wednesday, Shanahan said on Monday, and their input will factor into a final decision.

Kennison was declared inactive for Sunday's game against San Diego after telling Shanahan on Saturday night that he had lost his passion for the game and no longer wanted to play.

That announcement -- 16 hours before the Sunday kickoff -- caused Shanahan to order Kennison to leave the team hotel.

"I've never heard of a player retiring the night before a game," Shanahan said, noting that coaches and backup receivers then scrambled to fill the unexpected void.

Asked after Sunday's game if there was any possibility that Kennison could return to the team, Shanahan answered emphatically, "No."

Softening his stance Monday, Shanahan felt he owed it to Kennison's teammates to reveal the contents of his conversations with the receiver.

Shanahan said Kennison called him Monday morning, requesting a meeting.

"We sat down and talked, and he said he's unretiring," Shanahan said.

Asked if the players will get to vote on whether to welcome Kennison back to the team, Shanahan said, "I'm not saying we're going to raise hands. I want their opinions. I'd like to see how they feel and explain in detail what did happen."

Asked if there was now a chance Kennison could return, Shanahan said, "I think I expressed my viewpoint pretty candidly. All I can say is I'm going to talk to the team first. I told Eddie I would get back to him after I talked to the team and the coaches."

Kennison, 28, who led New Orleans and Chicago in receiving in 1999 and 2000, respectively, signed a free-agent contract with the Broncos last spring. Thrust into a starting role when Ed McCaffrey broke his leg in the season opener, he never lived up to expectations. He caught only 15 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown.

Kennison's decision left the Broncos shorthanded at receiver Sunday, and the situation got worse when Scottie Montgomery was sidelined with a twisted left knee in the first half and Rod Smith, the league's leading receiver, went down with a sprained right ankle in the third quarter.

Montgomery might miss Sunday's home game against Washington, but Smith was improved on Monday and expects to play. Rookie receiver Kevin Kasper also might be recovered from a sprained right ankle, and tight end Matt Dominguez will work this week at receiver.