Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin hopes to stay with the Super Bowl XLVIII winners and said his statement last May saying that he will be playing for the Atlanta Falcons in 2016 was "misinterpreted."
"I'm going to be in Atlanta next season. I'm ready," Irvin told Black Sports Online while watching an Atlanta Hawks playoff game last month.
But the 27-year-old recently expressed his desire to remain with the Seahawks for his entire career.
"I want to be in Seattle. Obviously, my words got misinterpreted," Irvin said according to ESPN.
Irvin also spoke about Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider drafting him in the first round in 2012 which is reason enough for him to stay with the team.
"In 2012, I had a lot of questions coming out before the draft. Pete and John stuck their necks out there for me and took me in the first round. So why wouldn't I want to be here?" Irvin said.
The quarterback out of West Virginia defended his statement regarding his desire of playing for Atlanta and said he would love to be with the Seahawks for the rest of his playing career.
"I'm from Atlanta. My whole family is still in Atlanta. That's every kid's dream to play for their home team. But right now, I'm in Seattle and I love being in Seattle. Hopefully, that's for the rest of my career," Irvin stated according to ESPN.
He also discussed the Seahawks not picking up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract which will earn him $7.8 million in 2016 and said he understands that it is all about business.
"I got the message that it's a business. It gave me extra motivation, I can say that. I got a little complacent, and I feel like that really put a chip on my shoulder," Irvin stated adding that he cannot do anything about the decisions of Seattle's front office.
