"I’m not coming back," Tomlinson told the newspaper on Thursday. "I don’t believe I’ll be back in San Diego. I’ve accepted it."
Tomlinson, 30, said there was a month-plus when he wasn’t sure what would happen, but that he has believed for a while that the Chargers would let him go.
"I’ve been praying and meditating," he told the paper. "After doing that for a couple weeks, I just felt like it was over."
The 2006 NFL MVP, Tomlinson ran for 730 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. He has two years remaining on his contract and is slated to make $5 million in 2010.
"It’s mixed emotions," he said in the article. "I’ve spent nine years of my life here, pretty much my youth. I gave the organization everything I have. I enjoyed the community."