PHOENIX -- Edwin Jackson has been around baseball long enough that he's convinced he knows a bright future when he sees one.
Well, the veteran right-hander sees a bright future in San Diego. And he'd like to be a part of it.
Following his final start of the 2016 season -- a 5-3 loss to Arizona -- Jackson expressed his desire to return to the Padres in 2017. The 33-year-old right-hander will be a free agent after the season.
"It's definitely a place I'd like to come back to," Jackson said. "... A lot of positives and a lot of upside to the future of the organization. It'd be fun to be a part of it toward the end of my career."
San Diego gave Jackson an opportunity in June, signing the righty after he was released by Miami. He didn't make his Padres debut until after the All-Star break, when he held the Giants hitless through six innings.
There were times -- namely his two no-no flirtations -- that Jackson appeared to be making the most of his opportunity. His best outing came in early September, when he held the Red Sox scoreless over seven frames, while striking out 11.
But Jackson's valleys often seemed to stretch farther than his peaks. Friday marked the sixth time this season Jackson allowed five earned runs in a start.
"I had a few games that I'd like to erase," Jackson said. "But it's how you bounce back from them. So I definitely think I showed a resilience -- the drive in me to bounce back from a terrible start. Of course, you like to be more consistent."
Padres manager Andy Green said Friday's outing wasn't any sort of audition for Jackson, whose resume of 14 seasons is certainly long enough already.
"You could feel how hard he was competing," Green said. "It definitely wasn't pressing. He's been around this game too long to have to worry about making a last impression on us. He's been very good in this league for a long time."
Ultimately, Jackson was done in by two poor pitches -- a hanging slider to Paul Goldschmidt and a poorly located cutter to Chris Owings, both of which left the yard for two-run homers.
He completed six frames, but it wasn't the way Jackson wanted his season to end.
"I kind of wish we had another month to go," Jackson said. "Being [designated for assignment] earlier in the season, having three weeks at home, I kind of felt like I lost a lot of baseball in that time. It felt like my body was just now coming around.
"But at the end of the day, I think I still have some positives to take from it. I think I still showed glimpses of what I have in the tank, what I have left in my body. I'm able to come back, able to be durable. [I'd] just like to be more consistent. Other than that, I have nothing to hang my head about going into the offseason."