Roddy White told ESPN.com that he had his left knee drained prior to minicamp, but the Atlanta Falcons receiver is not concerned about it being a major issue this season.
White, who had the same knee drained last offseason, sat out the first two days of mandatory minicamp last month after the procedure. He returned for the third and final day of the camp.
"It's not a concern to me because it's just like a little irritation,'' the veteran said Wednesday. "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.''
White said there is a strong possibility he will have the knee drained again at some point before the conclusion of the season. He missed two games last season, but neither was due to the knee.
"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.''
White will report to training camp on Thursday 4 pounds lighter than usual (208 instead of 212) and expects to be a full participant at camp. He also believes he still can play at a high level entering his 11th NFL season. The four-time Pro Bowler holds the franchise record with 10,357 career receiving yards. He knows his speed and separation are not what they used to be, but White firmly believes he can be an asset to the offense.
"I feel light, and I feel like that's going to help me get through the season,'' he said. "I want to be healthy for 16 games.''
White, who turns 34 in November, signed a three-year, $18 million contract extension last July that runs through the 2017 season. He plans to finish out that deal before retiring.
"I want to finish out my career here," White said. "After that ... well, I want to win a Super Bowl. But if it doesn't happen, I'll be happy. And if it does happen, I'll be happy.
"This will be my 11th season, and literally the NFL doesn't owe me nothing. I've made a lot of money. I've made a lot of great relationships with teammates and coaches. I love that about the league. There are good people around this league. I'm just loving my time here, and the Atlanta Falcons have been very good to me."