Chargers receiver Vincent Jackson, a season removed from an ugly holdout that dragged into the regular season, seems to be ready to let bygones be bygones.
Speaking at training camp, in video posted by the San Diego Union-Tribune, Jackson made clear that he has no hard feelings toward G.M. A.J. Smith or anyone else in the organization.
“I’ve never had a problem with anybody in this building,” Jackson said. “I feel like this is home.”
It’s a far cry from last year, when the mood was so bad that many believed Jackson would never play for the Chargers again. This year, he has signed his one-year franchise tender, which will pay him more than $10 million in 2011.
Speaking of $10 million, Jackson calmly refuted the notion that he or his representatives were seeking anything in exchange for his decision to drop his portion of the Brady class action lawsuit. That contention conflicts with multiple media reports that Jackson’s agents wanted Jackson to become a free agent, or to be paid $10 million.
Regardless, Jackson is happy. And that should make Chargers fans happy. If they’d had him for all of the 2010 season, the campaign may have ended much differently than it did.