Although he’s not on an NFL roster, 18-year veteran linebacker Junior Seau hasn’t announced his retirement.

Well, actually, he has announced his retirement, but that was two years ago. And after playing the 2006 and 2007 seasons with the Patriots, it’s apparently still possible that he could play 2008 for the Patriots as well.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick acknowledged that he has spoken to Seau, although he wasn’t particularly helpful when Boston Herald reporter John Tomase asked whether Seau could re-join the team.

“We are at 80 and if we make any roster moves we’ll let you know as soon as we can,” Belichick said. “We are where we are right now. If anything changes, we’ll let you know.”

The 39-year-old Seau is well past his prime and looked awfully slow last season, and Belichick has made a point this off-season of getting faster at linebacker. But Seau is a smart player who could jump right into the lineup if called upon, and it sounds like that’s still at least a possibility.

If Seau doesn’t come back, he’ll be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013. Others in that class could include Michael Strahan, Jonathan Ogden, Larry Allen, Warren Sapp, and, maybe, Brett Favre.