Branden Albert wants to end retirement after a week, but do Jaguars want him?

Veteran offensive tackle Branden Albert decided after a week that retirement wasn’t for him, so he told the Jacksonville Jaguars he wants to play again.

Now, the Jaguars have to decide if they want him back.

In one of the weirder training camp stories of this season, Albert retired on a Monday and un-retired a week later. The Associated Press reported Albert told the team he wants to come back. The Jaguars had the right to recoup $3.4 million in signing bonus money after he retired, and that might drive any man to come back to work.

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It might not be as easy as Albert jumping back in at left tackle. The AP reported the 32-year-old Albert “looked out of shape and past his prime” early in camp. He stayed away from the team for all of its voluntary offseason workouts, hoping for a new contract that never came. AP reporter Mark Long tweeted he’d be “shocked” if the Jaguars took Albert back after his unusual and surprising retirement last week.

It’s not like the Jaguars are in great shape at left tackle. They’re likely to turn to rookie second-round pick Cam Robinson at that spot and there’s little behind him. But if Albert isn’t really into playing anymore, or isn’t in good shape, is he that big of a help? The Jaguars replied to all of the reports with this tweet, that indicates the team isn’t interested in activating him right now:

It’s certainly an unusual story. The Jaguars probably don’t want to send the wrong message to their locker room either. Albert wants to play again, but it’s up to the Jaguars if it will be with them.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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