Veteran pass rusher Dwight Freeney said this month that he wants to continue playing, which is a necessary condition for him to return for a 14th NFL season.
So is a team that wants to have him on their roster and Freeney is going to have to find a new employer than the one he’s had for the last two seasons. Chargers General Manager Tom Telesco said Wednesday that the team has told Freeney that he won’t be back for a third year in San Diego.
“I talked to Dwight a couple days ago, and let him know that we weren’t going to pursue another contract with him,” Telesco said, via ESPN.com. “I thanked him for everything he gave us the last two years, and really thanked him for really taking a chance on us a couple years ago when he was a free agent. I was a first-time GM, Mike [McCoy] was a first-time head coach, which was a completely new program here. And he took a chance and signed with us.”
A torn quad limited Freeney to four games in 2013 and he produced 3.5 sacks in a limited role for the Chargers last season. At 35, Freeney’s prime days are well behind him but the neverending search for pass rush help means that someone will likely give him a chance to earn another situational role at some point this offseason.