ESSENDON defender James Gwilt has declared he is keen to keep playing beyond 2016 as he waits for the Bombers to indicate their intentions at the end of the season.

After playing 15 games this year before a knee injury struck, Gwilt's future has been on hold as the club finalised new deals for its suspended players.

With Jobe Watson and Tayte Pears now the only banned Bombers yet to announce their intentions for 2017, Gwilt was hopeful a decision on his own playing future would be made soon.

"I'm confident but I'd like to know either way. I'm comfortable if I do get another [contract], but if I don't I can step into other things outside of footy," Gwilt told AFL.com.au on Friday.

"I'm definitely keen. My mind and my body are fine, and my knee is pretty good. So I'm definitely keen to keep going.

"I understand that the club is in a unique situation and it's good that some of the boys have already re-signed, this week and last week.

"It's a bit annoying waiting, but there's 10-12 other guys in my situation as well. I've just got to deal with it, that's footy."

Gwilt joined the Bombers ahead of the 2015 season as a delisted free agent and was added to the club's leadership group this year.

The defender, who turned 30 last week and is close to completing an electrical apprenticeship, said he was open to playing on at another club if the Bombers did not offer him a new deal.

"If you got an offer somewhere else you wouldn't turn it down, definitely not, to keep playing AFL footy," he said.

In rehab after undergoing minor knee surgery in July, Gwilt said he had missed out on returning before the end of the season by one week.

He described his season as consistent, again playing on taller opponents including Charlie Dixon, Ben Griffiths and Jon Patton as well as resting ruckmen and holding his own.

"My effort didn't waver I don't reckon, regardless of how we were going, and I felt I played my role and helped everyone else play theirs," he said.