Rory Best plans to sit down with Ulster bosses this week to discuss his playing future.
The Ulster and Ireland skipper has already announced his decision to quit at Test level after the World Cup later this year.
That will end his central IRFU contract but the 37-year-old wants to know if there is a place for him with the province for a 16th season.
"We've had a few discussions and we always said we'd leave it until later in the season and see how I'm feeling," said Best, who will speak with Ulster head coach Dan McFarland and head of Rugby Operations, Bryn Cunningham.
"I'll just see where their heads are and where my head is and see if we can match up."
In an interview in MirrorSport this morning, Best discusses how close he came to giving up the Ireland captaincy before last year's Six Nations over his controversial appearance at the Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding court case.
He hopes to play for Ulster again this season, despite being told he faces a six-week absence with the ankle injury he suffered in the Champions Cup quarter-final loss to Leinster.
Rory Best hails Ulster's signing of Jack McGrath and hopes to back before end of season
Ulster are on course to make the PRO14 play-offs in mid-May and Best faces a race against time to be available.
But in the longer-term he was energised by Ulster's performance at the Aviva Stadium last Saturday. "It's strange," Best said.
"Some days you wake up and go, 'That's it, I'll get to the World Cup and I've done enough'.
"Then we get to occasions like Saturday and you go, 'This is a team that actually - for the first time in a long time at Ulster - seemed to rise to the big occasion'. You want to be a part of that.
"Then the news of Jack (McGrath) signing (from Leinster)...to play alongside Jack at club level would be class.
"But ultimately I've got to weigh everything up and not just have a knee-jerk reaction.
"I think from an Ulster point of view they're not going to change their policy, if I stay or don't stay.
"Obviously I'll go off a national contract and they'll have to find the money for me if I stay. But it's not as if they're going to sign a replacement for me".
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