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London Fletcher says physical condition won’t dictate future

New York Giants v Washington Redskins

LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 01: London Fletcher #59 of the Washington Redskins is introduced before the start of an NFL game between the New York Giants and Washington Redskins at FedExField on December 1, 2013 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

Patrick McDermott

A year ago, Redskins linebacker London Fletcher was determined to come back after his body broke down.

This year, having gotten through his 16th season, he said his future will be determined by things beyond his physical condition.

“I’ll let the season take its course and decompress,” Fletcher said, via John Keim of ESPN.com. “You don’t want to make an emotional decision on how you feel during the season. When you win you feel a whole lot better about things than when you lose. That’s how you have to take it.

“There are a lot of things that come to play when you’re deciding whether you want to continue to play: production, performance. Can you play? Health. Do they want you to play?

Fletcher’s five-year contract was written to void to two years, which will make him a free agent after the season.

But they and he will have to weigh his value carefully. He’s clearly slowing down, and his tackles per game average has fallen from 8.7 per game last year to 7.1 per game this year. And for the first time since joining the Redskins, he’s not the leading tackler, trailing teammate Perry Riley by six this year.

“Last year when I decided I was going to come back and play I threw myself into my workouts and pushed myself beyond what you would think you’d be able to do,” Fletcher said. “I don’t think that will be the deciding factor. It will be other things.”

That sounds like a guy who knows what he’s doing, but doesn’t want to make it official yet.