Mitchell questioning future after lack of playing time in Ticats' playoff loss

Bo Levi Mitchell's first season with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats already has the former All-Star quarterback thinking about his future.

Mitchell, the Ticats' high-profile offseason acquisition, didn't seem happy with his limited playing time during his team's 27-12 loss to the Montreal Alouettes in Saturday's East Division semifinal. That left him wondering postgame whether he just took his final snaps in the Hammer.

"I'll sit down with O (head coach and president of football operations Orlondo Steinauer), sit down with (senior assistant coach Scott Milanovich), sit down with the top guys, and have some conversations with them," Mitchell told TSN's Matthew Scianitti. "Obviously, it's fresh right now, (but) if you're not playing your highest-paid player on this team in a playoff game, I don't foresee myself being here."

Mitchell signed a three-year, $1.62-million deal with the Ticats in January after an 11-year run in Calgary but only played in five regular-season games because of injuries. After returning to full health last month, he split time with both Matthew Shiltz and Taylor Powell during Hamilton's final three contests leading into the postseason.

Steinauer named Shiltz as the starter for Saturday's playoff game but said he would continue to roll with a tandem quarterback system. However, Shiltz played most of the game against Montreal, completing 13 of 23 passes for 144 yards and one interception.

Mitchell finally took his first snap with 6:21 left in the fourth quarter with his team down by 12 points. The 33-year-old's first drive ended in a punt, and after getting the ball back following an Alouettes field goal, he threw a game-ending pick with under a minute remaining.

The two-time MOP and Grey Cup champion finished his first season in black and gold with just 1,031 passing yards over six games, along with 10 interceptions and only six touchdown passes.

Despite his frustrations about Saturday, Mitchell was positive about his overall tenure in Hamilton.

"I love this team, I love this organization, (and) I hope I can be here in some capacity because I would love to be a part of it again," he said. "But that is obviously for other people to decide."

"There are a lot of players here that are going to be great players on this team for a long time," Mitchell added. "It was fun to be a part of it, and I definitely wouldn't change it."