Shawn Merriman to hold out?!?!?

Per NFL.com:

Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman told The San Diego Union-Tribune on Thursday that he won’t report for the start of training camp until he receives some sort of security from team management.

Merriman claimed his holdout isn’t about a desire for a long-term contract or an increase from the one-year, $3.269 million tender the Chargers have offered and the linebacker hasn’t signed.

“It’s not about me wanting more money,” Merriman said. “I will show what I deserve. I don’t have to ask for it. I feel like I’ve proved what I’m worth, and I will still prove it. To me, it really comes down to, ‘Am I on the trading block this week? The third week of the season, am I on the block?’ Where is that comfortability for me?

“I’m only coming back to be the guy on the defense. I’m not coming back to be a guy. I want to be on a team where someone is going to be building a defense around me.”

The Chargers’ first full-squad workout is scheduled for Friday, and Merriman doesn’t intend to be there. Neither do wide receiver Vincent Jackson and offensive tackle Marcus McNeil, who, like Merriman, have yet to sign their restricted free-agent tenders.

“This is literally day to day how things progress, how things move,” Merriman said. “I don’t want this to be a distraction to my teammates. I don’t want this to be a distraction to me. I just want to get something resolved soon and go from there. The bottom line is when I get back on the field I plan on doing what I do best, and that is playing.”