San Diego Chargers linebacker Donald Butler has admitted that he is delighted to have extended his stay at the club after agreeing a multi-year deal on Friday.
Butler said that since being drafted by the Chargers in 2011 he has not been able to imagine playing for another club and was not looking forward to the prospect of potentially being a free agent.
"Words can't even describe how I feel right now," he told the club's official website. "Obviously the Chargers are the team that drafted me and I'm excited to be here and work with the fellas for years to come.
"What's not to love about San Diego? The fans are great. They have our back regardless of what we're going through. They're there for us. Just the city of San Diego itself, it doesn't get much better than this. I'm just all smiles.
"After the season I was a free agent and of course you get worried about if you're going to be able to get the deal done or will I have to hit the free agent market. So I'm just happy both sides worked diligently to get this done. Now the time is here."
Butler made 84 combined tackles last season for the Chargers.