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Free agent defensive back Charles Woodson is returning to the Oakland Raiders as Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com reports that the 36-year-old has agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the team that selected him with the fourth overall pick of the 1998 NFL draft.
The one-year dealhas been confirmed by the Raiders. According to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com, the deal includes a signing bonus of $700,000 and is worth a maximum of $4.3 million.
Woodson, who won the 1997 Heisman Trophy while at the University of Michigan, was the 1998 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and was named to four Pro Bowls during his eight-year stint with the Raiders. Woodson joined the Green Bay Packers in 2006 and in seven seasons Woodson would twice lead the NFL in interceptions (2009, 2011). Woodson was named to four Pro Bowl squads and earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2009 before he was moved to safety during a 2012 season where he would nine games with a broken clavicle.
On Feb. 15, the Packers released Woodson and the two years and $20 million that remained on his contract. Woodson drew interest recently from the Denver Broncos and Detroit Lions. With Woodson at the tail end of his career, and the Broncos primed for playoff success, the prevailing sentiment was that the Raiders and Lions, two teams with salary cap room, were being used by Woodson's camp as leverage against the Broncos, who are nearly $10 million under the cap, in contract negotiations. Fans in Oakland were quite vocal about wanting their team to re-sign Woodson and turned out in large numbers to greet Woodson when he arrived at the team's headquarters for his visit.
By re-signing with the Raiders, Woodson not only returns to where his NFL career started, but he will be able to keep closer tabs on his Napa Valley winery, TwentyFour Wines.
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