Did Eric Weddle just hint that he’s ready to leave the Chargers?

The San Diego Chargers have been given a soft deadline of the next 10-14 days to sign quarterback Philip Rivers to a contract extension, and yet Rivers is hardly the only Chargers free-agent-to-be of note in 2016.

Tight end Antonio Gates and safety Eric Weddle also are set to enter the final years of their respective contracts, and with the state of the franchise — this whole L.A. business and all that — up in the air, it’s not clear if there’s room for all of them to return.

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Weddle seems to have realized this, and he’s talking like a man who might already have come to the mental grips of playing for a new team in 2016. In an interview with NFL Network, Weddle made it sound like he might have packed a bag or two — and not just for training camp. 

“I enjoy the game, I love this game,” he said. “But when you look around, I do look at this differently, this being my last year. Just making the moment, enjoying the nights we have when we’re talking and visiting. Those guys and I will be friends for ever, it just might be the last year we’re playing together.”

Is it the most damning thing ever said by a free agent looking to cash in? No. But when you consider it was the second time he had mentioned it, Weddle is not-so-subtly letting Chargers officials know that he probably isn’t taking some hometown discount just for the sake of retaining his beachfront property (if he indeed owns a beachfront property — we have no idea).

This is what he said earlier about how he’s approaching this season with his contract buddies on the team as they enter No Man’s Land.

“We’re definitely taking every moment together, relishing the moments we have and the time we have, and most likely it will be the last year for us, for a lot of us, and we’ll move on to other teams,” Weddle said.

The Chargers have six players set to hit for more than $5 million against the cap next season — not an alarming number, but there are a few players’ deals (such as those of Donald Butler, Brandon Flowers, Orlando Franklin and Melvin Ingram) that are far from set in stone right now.

If the Chargers sign Rivers soon, they still can franchise Weddle next year, but it likely will cost them a one-year tender somewhere in the range of $9 million.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm