Baltimore Ravens backup safety Haruki Nakamura is ready to step out of All-Pro Ed Reed's shadow and become a starter.
Nakamura is also ready to test free agency in order to do so, though he acknowledges he wouldn't mind staying a Raven.
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"I would love to be back with the Ravens, but I also want the opportunity to compete for more playing time," Nakamura told the Carroll County Times on Sunday. "That's the next step I want to take. If Baltimore were to come back and say there's something of a guaranteed opportunity to compete for more playing time, then I would definitely be very interested.
"It's all about opportunity, it's not necessarily all about money. That's what this game is about. We'll see where that takes me."
The newspaper said the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts are considered possible destinations. Free agency officially starts at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
"I'm not looking for interest, I'm looking for a real opportunity and a contract," Nakamura told the newspaper. "We'll find out soon what free agency is going to be like for me."
Nakamura told the newspaper that though the Ravens haven't said they'd like to keep him, they have told him to give them a chance to counter any offers.
Nakamura, 25, has been with the Ravens for four seasons.
