Dwight Freeney in talks with Falcons, optimistic he'll re-sign

Dwight Freeney has every intention of returning for a 16th NFL season, and it appears increasingly possible that he'll be doing so in the same colors he donned last year.

The veteran pass-rusher told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Thursday that he's been in touch with the Atlanta Falcons about re-signing with the club ahead of the 2017 season.

While there's been no indication that an agreement is near, Freeney expressed optimism about his chances of striking a deal.

The future Hall of Famer demonstrated upon joining the Falcons last season that, although he's quickly approaching the end of a stellar NFL career, he can still provide pass-rush value in rotation. After tallying three sacks in the regular season, he'd go on to tally another in a Super Bowl LI matchup with the New England Patriots.

Freeney, a former first-round pick who spent his first 11 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, will enter the 2017 campaign with a total of 122.5 sacks. The impressive total puts him 18th on NFL's all-time leaderboard and second only to Julius Peppers among active players.