TEMPE, Ariz. – Dwight Freeney doesn’t want to wait until October to sign his next contract.
He’d prefer it happened sometime soon – and preferably with the Arizona Cardinals again. Freeney wants to return for a 15th season, he said on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Wednesday night.
"I would like to," Freeney said. "Last year, it was kind of one of those things where I wanted to play. It just depended on the team. It had to be the right situation, thought it had to be the right fit. Thank god the Arizona Cardinals called me, because I was one week away from calling it quits.
"This year, hopefully we can come to an agreement with the Cardinals."
Freeney, who signed with Arizona before Week 6, had eight sacks in 11 games. He was the lone bright spot for the Cardinals’ pass rush last season, an area they’re still trying to address.
Freeney, who turned 36 in February, became a free agent Wednesday afternoon. His return to the Cardinals would give them another year of a viable third-down threat. But he knows he may not be in their plans for 2016.
“They have to see what they have to do, too,” Freeney said. “I understand this business. It’s a young man’s game. They want to figure out what they need to. I’m here if they need me. If not, I’d love to play somewhere else, too.”