KANGAROO great Glenn Archer believes premiership teammate Adam Simpson will benefit more from an apprenticeship at another AFL club if a senior post is his long-term goal.

Archer told afl.com.au that he would support North Melbourne retaining Simpson as an assistant coach or in a development role, but said his close friend also had to strengthen his future prospects.

"It all depends on the senior coach that they appoint," Archer said.

"If his aspiration is to be a senior coach one day, I think it would be good for his personal growth to go to another club and learn different ways and see how other clubs actually operate.

"At the same time, I'd love to still have him around the club."

With Richmond preparing to appoint a replacement for Terry Wallace, the AFL coaching landscape could create openings for a retiree of Simpson's calibre.

However, at his press conference on Monday, Simpson did not rule out starting out at a lower level of the game.

Archer knew of Simpson's decision to retire early last week and admitted he tried to talk him out of it, mainly because of how well the 33-year-old had been playing this season.

Simpson's career will end on 306 games against Carlton on Friday night, five short of Archer's club record of 311.

Archer said it would not have worried him if Simpson had have passed his mark.

"I just thought he was going so well and thinking he was going to play next year," he said.

"When you're not in the inner sanctum anymore and looking from the outside, you don't actually know what's going on inside [the club].

"Once he explained to me that he'd had enough, I could sympathise with him. Everyone goes through it towards the end of their career. It just hits you one day, and you just know that your time's up.

"'Simmo's' as honest as the day is long, and if he's said it's time to go, it's definitely time to go."

Archer said Simpson matched former North captain Anthony Stevens as the most consistent footballer he had played with, but held a very special place when it came to his character.

"He's been absolutely sensational from the day that he walked in the place," he said.

"I've watched him grow as a person and, as far as people go, he's in the top three that I've met.

"It's his selflessness that makes him such a great person. He never thinks of himself; he thinks of the team and the football club."