Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

Chad Pennington is being realistic about his career outlook, but he's not ready to say he has quarterbacked his last down.

"I'm certainly not going to close the book," Pennington told reporters Wednesday. "People have tried to close the book on me before, and I have kept it open."

Still, his career most certainly is in jeopardy. He's facing the third surgery on his throwing shoulder, and his contract with the Miami Dolphins expires after this season. He will turn 34 before the start of next season.

Pennington injured his right shoulder in Sunday's road loss to the San Diego Chargers. The initial diagnosis is that Pennington requires surgery. He will seek a second opinion from sports orthopedist Dr. James Andrews on Thursday.

"I think you guys know how competitive I am and how driven I am," Pennington said. "So I am going to map out a plan and take it one step at a time. The plan will probably change throughout the time, and I will take different roads here and there, but I will definitely have a plan from here on out."

Pennington sounded like he was contemplating the possibility his career might be over. If he doesn't return to the field, he can look back on some fine achievements. Pennington was runner-up to Peyton Manning for league MVP last year and was named Comeback Player of the Year a second time.

"My wife and I have been through this before," Pennington said. "We are trying to draw upon our previous experiences and understand that we have been truly blessed and have had some amazing opportunities to meet some amazing people and experienced some really neat things as a professional athlete.

"There are some worse things going on in this world than a bum shoulder; that’s for sure. Things will be fine, and we know that. In the meantime, in the short term, we have a lot of things to focus on and reevaluate and map out and make sure we are leading our family in the right direction."