PITTSBURGH — Jason Taylor fought back tears as he pondered whether this was the end for him.

The 36-year-old New York Jets linebacker wasn’t sure if he might have played for the last time after a 24-19 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC championship game.

“We finished this thing an hour ago,” Taylor said softly. “There are so many emotions going through me right now. We’ll cross that bridge in the future.”

Taylor signed a two-year contract with the Jets in April, but could retire after 14 sack-filled NFL seasons. Or, it could be out of his hands completely, saying “we’ll see” if coach Rex Ryan and GM Mike Tannenbaum “even want me back.“

Taylor, the NFL’s active career sacks leader, was wooed to New York by Ryan to help provide a proven pass rusher to a defense sorely in need of one. He ended up with five in the regular season.

“I pride myself on being a playmaker and a game-changer,” Taylor said. “I may not be the same as I was two years ago, but I felt like I still needed to do more.”