Officially, Dwight Freeney isn’t a member of the 2017 Atlanta Falcons.

All signs point to that changing sooner than later.

Some of the $4.3 million salary cap credit that Atlanta receives Friday already appears earmarked toward re-signing the future Pro Football Hall of Fame edge-rusher who contributed both on and off the field last season as the Falcons reached Super Bowl 51.

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"I’ve already been talking to the coaches and going back and forth here and there with the draft picks and free agents,” Freeney told co-host Bill Polian and me Thursday night on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “That line of communication is still very open. They say they're still very interested.

"I’m planning to reach out to them here soon and hopefully we both believe they want me back and playing for them."

There was some doubt whether Freeney would even play again in 2017 — let alone for the Falcons — at the start of the offseason. Falcons coach Dan Quinn told SiriusXM NFL Radio in early March he would be insistent upon Freeney participating in Atlanta's offseason program if he did decide to return for a 16th NFL campaign.

"The standard is the standard,” Quinn told co-host Rick Neuheisel and me at the NFL Scouting Combine. “If he decides he wants to do it, he’s got to be all in to do it. I don’t want to make special circumstances for anyone in any way."

Quinn, though, now appears willing to make an exception after Freeney called his bluff. At this point in his NFL career, the 37-year-old Freeney has scant interest in signing in time to participate in Atlanta’s upcoming veteran minicamp or the remaining offseason program.

"I love football, but I’m not saying I live to be there that early," a laughing Freeney said.

Plus, it’s not like Freeney sits at home eating Bon Bons and sipping sweet tea while Falcons players sweat in the Georgia sunshine. Freeney skipped offseason workouts the previous two years with Atlanta and Arizona, respectively, before arriving in good enough shape to immediately contribute.

Freeney said he has adopted “creative ways” to get ready through the years, including water-based and boxing workouts, to maintain conditioning for football while minimizing the pounding on his legs.

"I only have a certain amount of miles on my body and I don’t know when a tire is going to blow," said Freeney, who suffered a torn quadriceps in 2013 while playing for the San Diego Chargers. "If I play this year, 16 years is a lot of wear and tear on the ankles, knees and joints.

"I feel great right now but you never know what’s going to happen. My training now is more about being smart instead of just trying to lift the building or run six miles."

Freeney admits he was “leaning” toward retirement had the Falcons defeated the Patriots in the Super Bowl.

"I was kind of undecided before, but as it got closer, I was saying to myself, ‘Winning the Super Bowl and leaving would feel amazing to me,'" said Freeney, who already has a ring as a member of the 2006 Indianapolis Colts. "The best year I ever experienced was the year that we won the Super Bowl. Wouldn’t it be great to leave like Jerome Bettis, Ray Lewis or someone in that type of situation?

"We didn't win so that’s gone."

The Falcons lost in spectacular fashion by squandering the biggest lead in Super Bowl history (25 points). Freeney said an adjustment the Patriots made to provide quarterback Tom Brady with more protection down the stretch by using tight ends to chip fellow pass-rusher Vic Beasley and him was pivotal. Brady wasn’t sacked on New England’s final three drives — all of which ended in touchdowns — as the Patriots posted a 34-28 overtime win.

"In the first three quarters they’re releasing five (receivers) outside and believing in their offensive line to stop us up front," Freeney said. "Five sacks later they realize, ‘You know what? We’ve got to give Tom time no matter what.’

"All of a sudden, they’re running seven-man protection and receivers are just running routes man-to-man against our DBs. We're out there 80-plus plays so fatigue starts to enter into that equation."

While the defense did founder, Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has taken the bulk of the blame for Atlanta’s loss with highly questionable play calls that failed miserably in the fourth quarter. Freeney, though, refused to scapegoat Shanahan for the defeat and pointed out that “it’s easy for people to say these things when they’re not under the most extreme pressure situations."

"He had his reasons for what he did," Freeney said. "We have the type of environment where we believe in our players and coaching staff. If they decide to be a little more aggressive (offensively), we needed to step up to the plate (defensively) and still execute. We did not do that."

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Freeney strongly believes the "brotherhood" Quinn has established will help the Falcons rebound in 2017.

"We understand it’s a tough deal," said Freeney, who was on the losing side of Super Bowl 44 with the Indianapolis Colts. "That’s the worst feeling you’ll ever have. But if we believe what we preach and are there for each other, we’ll get knocked down sometimes but get back up."

Freeney and the Falcons know he isn’t at the same elite level from when he posted the bulk of his 122.5 career sacks, a total that has him ranked behind only Julius Peppers (143.5) among active NFL leaders. But his impact in Atlanta went far beyond the three sacks and 10 tackles Freeney produced as a rotational player in 2016.

Freeney helped mentor Beasley, who improved from a disappointing rookie season to produce a league-high 15.5 sacks, and is prepared to assume the same role with Atlanta’s 2017 first-round pick Takk McKinley. Freeney said Falcons coaches had McKinley call him the day after he was selected.

"He was telling me, ‘I used to use you on Madden and grew up watching you as a player,'" said Freeney, referring to the popular NFL video game.

"He was starting to make me feel real old. But he also said he can't wait to be a part of that. He sounded like he was passionate. Hopefully, I’ll be there to help."

That shouldn’t take too much longer to happen.

Alex Marvez can be heard from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET on SiriusXM NFL Radio.