The Sports Xchange

Chris Cooley hasn’t played football since he left the NFL after the 2012 season, but the former Washington Redskins tight end is mulling a return this year.

The 33-year-old Cooley said recently on his radio show in the D.C. area that he’s in great shape after spending the past few months working out.

“I feel awesome,” he said recently after power-cleaning 350 pounds at the Redskins’ training facility, the most he has done since college, and returning to his playing weight of 250 pounds.

Cooley has rigorously worked out since January and still thinks he can play in the league. He has never officially retired.

“If I went to camp, I could be anybody’s third tight end — worst case,” he said. “I have no doubt. Any team in the NFL, I could be their third tight end. There’s not a question in my mind.”

If Cooley did return, he would rather play for the Redskins, but he’s willing to keep his options open should another suitor come calling.

“Two years ago, had I gone somewhere (else to play) and it didn’t work out, I would have had my feelings hurt,” Cooley said. “And now, I think it would just be fun.”

Cooley told The Washington Post that he has had conversations about returning with an unnamed offensive coordinator for another team who’s most likely familiar with the tight-end-turned-radio-host’s career statistics: 429 receptions for 4,711 yards and 33 touchdowns in nine seasons.

“There aren’t the competitive challenges and the competitive accomplishments to be achieved in (every) job, the feeling of going crazy because you’ve worked to achieve something,” Cooley said recently on his radio show for ESPN 980 in Rockville, Md. “And if you think you only have a couple more (chances), why wouldn’t you do it?”