Essendon's 2014 coach Mark Thompson has softened his stance and is now open to the possibility of staying at Tullamarine in a reduced capacity.

Three weeks ago at the Bombers' best-and-fairest night, Thompson strongly indicated that he wanted to remain the club's senior coach despite the suspended James Hird returning to the fold.

Mark Thompson: Uncertain future. Credit:Getty Images

"The thing I'm really struggling with right now is taking a step back," Thompson said on October 1.

"I can't do a job that doesn't actually fill a need ... You don't go backwards in this world. We don't ever want players to play in the AFL and then go back to the VFL and expect them to enjoy that. They hate that and that's a little bit about how I feel."