Entering his 11th NFL season, Roddy White, like many aging veterans, needs a little medical maintenance from time to time.
The Atlanta Falcons receiver -- who turns 34 in November -- told ESPN.com's Vaughn McClure he had his knee drained prior to minicamp, but isn't worried about the knee being a lingering problem this season.
"It's not a concern to me because it's just like a little irritation," he said Wednesday, noting he had the same procedure last season without trouble. "My cartilage in my knee is not smooth. It's kind of rippled. You can elect to have surgery, but I just decided not to because I'm not a surgery guy. I just don't want to do it.
"They gave me the option two years ago to have surgery. They said they would have to slice off the top of my cartilage, and I was like, 'I don't want to do that.' I don't want them to keep shaving my cartilage off until there's no more cartilage. Then you start to get arthritis.''
Neither of the two games White missed in 2014 were due to the knee injury. The veteran wideout said he's unsure whether he'd need to undergo the procedure again during the season, but he isn't worried.
"If I get my knee drained on a Monday, I can practice on Wednesday,'' White said. "It's not an issue where I'm going to miss a game, because it's such a small issue. I'm not worried about it -- not at all.''
While no longer as explosive as in his prime, White can still display flashes of production in spurts. There have been rumblings from Falcons camp that newly signed receiver Leonard Hankerson could cut into White's targets. If any injury hinders the veteran, that will become even more true.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast discusses Tom Brady's four-game suspension and Eric Berry's comeback.
