Jobless veteran DE Hayward is preparing for both return and retirement

After being released by the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier this week, veteran defensive end Reggie Hayward did not show much disappointment, as he understood his former team needs space for younger players and he himself has had too many setbacks to keep his value.

"I have wonderful memories," Hayward told the Florida Times-Union. "The fans have been extremely loyal with everything I went through. They're a good group of people. They followed me on Twitter and gave me amazing support every time I needed it. You have to make space for new arrivals. It wasn't a surprise. You want to be a part of it, but you understand the ins and outs of the business. I left on good terms."

At age 31, Heyward also said that he was considering both possibilities of joining a new team and retiring as a Jaguar. When talking about the possible new team, Hayward said that he would love to put on New Orleans Saints jersey to try if he could do better with a better team, but he also added that he knew the chance would be very tiny and he would be fine to retire if there is still no team to land by the beginning of preseason.