The NFL Draft has come and gone and now the remaining free agents left on the market are hoping teams are looking at remaining holes on their roster and will call their number. Several marquee veterans are waiting for interest from teams as offseason workouts begin. Charles Woodson is still sitting around. Despite his impressive resume, he believes his age is holding him back from being signed.
Woodson is now 36 and in the eyes of the NFL, that is considered ancient. At this point in his career, many wonder just how many years he has left to give a team. Woodson certainly has not lacked for production over his career. He was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2009. He is an eight-time Pro Bowler and he helped the Green Back Packers to a Super Bowl victory.
However, in recent years he has seen his production drop along with his durability. He suffered a broken collarbone in October last season and was forced to miss six games for the Packers. He made it back for the playoffs but was a nonfactor in the games. The Packers released him in February in order to relieve salary cap space.
Woodson believes his age is playing the biggest factor in team's interest in him. The free agent market has not been kind to veterans no matter how impressive they have been in their careers. Woodson is just another example.
"If you're an older guy, they kind of push you to the side and they'll maybe look at you much later on down the road, when I guess they figure they can get you much cheaper," Woodson said.
Interest has been slim on Woodson, he is right about that. The San Francisco 49ers had appeared to be interested in the defensive back, but they took care of their secondary in the draft and will likely no longer consider the veteran. The Balitmore Ravens at this point, are the best shot Woodson has at returning
The Ravens had previously mentioned considering Woodson. They lost Ray Lewis and Ed Reed in the offseason. They did pick up safety Matt Elam and have the young corner Jimmy Smith. However, both have past character issues and may or may not pan out as a solid option. Like Woodson said, the Ravens could sign him to a cheap one-year deal and see if he works out.
