The Arizona Cardinals' 35-year-old quarterback, who lost his job to rookie Matt Leinart, said Thursday he is considering retirement after this season.

``Definitely I'm thinking about my next step and what's best for me and all those things,'' he said.

Warner, who went from the Arena Football League and NFL Europe to lead St. Louis to two Super Bowl appearances, is in the first year of a three-year contract he signed with the Cardinals in February. But he realizes that his future in Arizona would be as a backup.

Since his MVP days with the Rams, Warner has lost starting jobs to Marc Bulger in St. Louis, Eli Manning with the New York Giants and now Leinart.

``We'll sit down at the end of the year and see the way things are going,'' Warner said.