Defensive tackle Ryan Pickett will turn 35 this fall, and has 13 NFL seasons under his belt, but he hopes to catch on with a team and return for a 14th year, as he tells Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. While Pickett’s preference would be to re-sign with the Packers, for whom he started every game in 2013, the free agent says he’s open to other possibilities and is 100% certain he’ll continue his playing career.
“I can still play ball. Just turn on the tape,” Pickett said. “I can do my job. And I do it well. I like to prove people wrong. I feel great. I don’t feel old.”
The number one goal for the former first-round pick is to win another Super Bowl, so he’d like to join a contending team. However, Pickett acknowledges that the Packers have gone in a different direction on the defensive line this offseason, getting younger and more athletic, even as head coach Mike McCarthy keeps the door open for a possible reunion. The team also brought back B.J. Raji to occupy the nose tackle position that Pickett played last season.
At the moment, a handful of teams – including the Packers – have open roster spots, though clubs with full 90-man rosters could consider making an offer to Pickett as well. The Ohio State product expects to have landed somewhere in time for training camp, as he tells Dunne. Following the 2014 season, Pickett will contemplate retirement, but for now it sounds like he’s gearing up to be healthier and more productive in ’14 than he was in ’13.