Charles Woodson signed a one-year deal to return to the Oakland Raiders for his 10th season with the franchise.
Woodson, 37, is in his 17th season in the NFL and considered retiring after joining the Raiders in 2013.
“If the right numbers don’t come across for myself and from the team standpoint, it’s a serious consideration, at this point, that I could’ve played my last season in the NFL,” Woodson said last month.
Woodson’s contract is believed to be similar to the one-year deal worth a maximum of $4.3 million he signed in 2013.
He played all 16 games for the Raiders last season. It was the first time in three years he didn’t miss a game with injury.
The fourth overall pick by the Raiders in 1998 out of the University of Michigan, Woodson was a four-time Pro Bowl player for Oakland before joining the Green Bay Packers in 2006 and going on to four more Pro Bowl selections and earning a Super Bowl ring over the past seven seasons.
Woodson was released by the Packers at the start of the 2013 offseason and stated his desire to hook on with a serious playoff contender. However, there was tepid interest in the 36-year old on the free-agent market and visits with the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos didn’t result in contract offers. Woodson has suffered two broken collarbones in the past four years.
Woodson also has a relationship with Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie, who was a personnel executive in Green Bay when Woodson went there as a free agent in 2006.
Woodson has played in 222 career games with 219 starts, and ranks second among active players with 56 interceptions – 11 of which he has returned for touchdowns, second-most in NFL history. He also has 19 sacks and 27 forced fumbles.