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METAIRIE, La. — Jermon Bushrod didn’t come into the NFL and set the world on fire as a rookie.

Not that he expected to, coming from Towson University, a small program without a large NFL pedigree.

It wasn’t until 2009, his third year in the league, that he earned his first snaps on offense as a left tackle.

Three years later, he’s about to become a highly-marketable left tackle, one that could become highly paid at one of the league’s most important positions.

Sunday, when the Saints (7-8) host the Panthers (6-9) at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Bushrod could be playing his last game with New Orleans.

And that’s something that saddens him.

“It crosses my mind all the time and it kind of gets you down if you think about it too much but at the end of the day, it’s something I have no control over and it’s something that I’m going to worry about when our season is over and done,” Bushrod said this week.

Read more: Saints LT Bushrod in position to earn big payday this offseason | wwltv.com New Orleans