JACKSONVILLE – As far as decisions go, Paul Posluszny said this was an easy one.
The negotiation process was easy by comparison, too, so Posluszny in general was feeling good on Friday afternoon when he joined reporters on a conference call to discuss his recent contract extension with the Jaguars.
He wanted to remain with the Jaguars long-term.
The team wanted the same thing, and after eight NFL seasons, that's something the Jaguars' starting middle linebacker very much does not take for granted.
"It's special to me, and I consider myself very fortunate," Posluszny said Friday. "I wanted to do everything I could to play for Jacksonville as long as I could. I want to be a part of this organization and I wanted to do everything I could to be here.
"This was a great opportunity for us to extend the contract and to give me another opportunity to compete with the Jaguars."
Posluszny, who will enter his ninth NFL season next season, reportedly extended his contract one season through the 2017 season. He originally signed a six-year deal shortly before the 2011 season.
"We were able to make it mutually beneficial," Posluszny, 30, said. "I want to play for Jacksonville. I want to play for Coach (Gus) Bradley and be a part of this organization. … I think everybody can feel it. It's an exciting time to be a part of the organization and it's an organization on the rise."
Posluszny (6-feet-2, 242 pounds), who signed with the Jaguars as an unrestricted free agent from the Buffalo Bills, started 47 of 48 games from 2011-2013, but missed the final nine games last season with a torn pectoral muscle sustained late in a Week 7 victory over Cleveland.
He said Friday he hopes to be cleared to participate fully in the team's voluntary offseason program, the conditioning phase of which will begin early next week.
"I'm feeling great," he said. "I feel back to 100 percent. All I have to do is see (Jaguars head physician) Dr. (Kevin) Kaplan one more time. He should be able to say, 'You're completely cleared to do everything,' and then we'll be off and running. I'm at that point now in the rehab process where it's just, 'Lift and run as normal,' which has been great.
"I don't see why I should have any limitations when we start up."
Posluszny said while his weight dropped to around 223 pounds following surgery, he is now around 234-235 and plans to play around 240 next season.
"We're heading in the right direction," Posluszny said. "I'd still like to put on a couple more pounds of lean mass and go from there. That was a struggle, to get back to a suitable weight."
Posluszny, a second-round selection by Buffalo in the 2007 NFL Draft, has led the Jaguars in tackles in three of his four seasons, making the Pro Bowl as an alternate following the 2013 season. He registered 192 tackles and two sacks in 2011, a franchise-record 231 tackles and two sacks in 2012 and 161 tackles and three sacks in his 2013 Pro Bowl season.
Still, he said he values and appreciates the opportunity to return to the Jaguars for a fifth season. The season will be his third playing for Bradley.
Poslusnzy originally joined the Jaguars with Jack Del Rio as head coach and Gene Smith as general manager. Bradley is his fourth head coach, including 2011 interim head coach Mel Tucker.
"It doesn't always work out that way," Posluszny said. "Teams and coaches have their types of players and their types of guys. I feel fortunate that I can try to fit that mold of what the Jaguars are looking for."
Also on Friday, Posluszny said he was excited about defensive additions made in free agency such as defensive end Jared Odrick. The two played together for one season at Penn State, with Odrick signing as an unrestricted free agent with the Jaguars in early March after four seasons with the Miami Dolphins.
"I'm excited to have him as part of our D-Line," he said. "I think he's going to do a really good job."
The Jaguars also early in free agency signed safety Sergio Brown from the Indianapolis Colts, cornerback Davon House from the Green Bay Packers and outside/Otto linebacker Dan Skuta from the San Francisco 49ers.
"It's really, really exciting when you see things like that come across the wire because you know our team is instantly getting better with adding people like that to the roster," Posluszny said. "We automatically get better with those guys, so it's exciting for us."
