Kareem Jackson spent his entire nine-year NFL career with the Houston Texans -- until yesterday.
The physical corner agreed to a three-year, $33 million contract with the Denver Broncos on Monday.
The 30-year-old told Mark Berman of KRIV in Houston that the Texans didn't make an attempt to bring him back.
"They didn't even approach me with an offer or any type of deal," Jackson said. "Obviously, they didn't want me back or whatever the case may be. I'm not really sure. My agent was never approached by anybody from the Texans organization, so I wasn't offered a deal of any sort. I kind of feel a little disrespected to be honest about it. At the end of the day, no hard feelings. I had a great nine years here. This will always be home for me. I definitely appreciate all the memories and all the opportunities. I appreciate the fans and everything I was able to build here. I'll always have love for Houston."
Given Houston's need in the secondary, it's a surprise that they didn't at least pursue a reunion, as Jackson intimates. Perhaps in the end, the Texans wouldn't have been comfortable handing $23 million guaranteed to a corner at age 30 who can occasionally get lost in space.
Jackson proved he was the most physical corner in the NFL last season, bullying receivers and blowing up any team who foolishly threw WR screens his way.
A year after trading Aqib Talib, the Broncos added the physical Jackson to remake their secondary alongside Chris Harris Jr.
While the long-time Texan seemed peeved Houston let him walk, the corner is looking forward to his new destination.
"I'm not emotional. I know how the business goes," Jackson told Berman. "All good things sometimes come to an end. At the end of the day, it's another opportunity for me. They've got a great group of guys (in Denver). I'm eager to get there and do whatever I can to help them win. ... I'm happy about it. It's a new opportunity to go to a great organization. I just want to be a piece of the puzzle to help the guys win."