Is Steve Carell going to leave The Office?  After seven seasons, Carell says it might be time for Michael Scott to say goodbye to Dunder Mifflin.

According to buzzsugar.com, Steve Carell hinted at leaving The Office after next season.  Carell participated in a BBC radio interview for his movie Date Night with Tina Fey that ended as follows:

Question: How long will you stay with The Office for?  How many more series?  How long does your contract run?

Steve: Contract through next season.

Question: And will you stay after that?

Steve: I don’t think so.  I think that will probably be my last year.

A piece of the BBC interview can also be heard here.

Fans and journalists alike are hoping this is only a negotiating tool, but with Carell’s recent appearance on the big screen, many are suspecting he might take his career in another direction other than the Scranton, Pennsylvania office.  NBC has not commented on the situation.

Is Steve Carell leaving The Office? Carell's character, Michael Scott, may only be at Dunder Mifflin for one more year.

@MontelenaApts tweeted: “Whhhhaaaaatttt??!! RT @eonline: This Just In: Is Steve Carell Really Leaving The Office?! http://bit.ly/bBwpgo”

@aks106: “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO – Steve Carell leaving ‘The Office’?http://bit.ly/anXCf0”

DrRocketGenius: NO. NOT ALLOWED. /via @IGNcom Steve Carell leaving The Office? That’s what HE says! http://go.ign.com/cYvMwJ

According to wiki.answers.com and chacha.com, Carell earned $175,000 per episode for season three of The Office, one can conclude that his current salary is much higher.

Carell earned $5,000,000 for his roles in Get Smart and Evan Almighty and the New York Daily News reports that he is now worth about $15,000,000 per film.

With numbers like these, it’s easy to see why Carell would opt for characters other than Michael Scott in locations other than Scranton, Pennsylvania.  But, it’s certain that while he’ll continue to make millions, he will also leave millions of fans behind.