The San Francisco 49ers come to FedExField on Sunday, and that means the return of former Redskins cornerback Carlos Rogers.

Rogers was the Redskins' first-round draft pick (ninth overall) in 2005. He played six seasons in Washington and tallied eight interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.

On Aug. 2 earlier this year, Rogers signed a one-year deal with the 49ers as a free agent.

Just seven games into his 49ers career, Rogers has three interceptions and a touchdown. He never had more tha two interceptions in any single season in Washington and he was often-criticized for dropping sure interceptions.

Rogers believes a fresh start and learning from past experiences have contributed to his play this season.

"Just relaxing, having fun and playing football again," Rogers told Washington, D.C. reporters via conference call on Wednesday. "Coming in to San Francisco, I already knew the defense because I was playing the same positions in Washington. That made it much easier."

Asked about leaving the Redskins last offseason, Rogers said: "I think it felt like it was time for me to leave. I didn't think that the Redskins were going to re-sign me anyway."

Apparently not. Head coach Mike Shanahan said as much when asked about Rogers.

"If he was as consistent as we would have liked, then we would have signed him long term," Shanahan said. "But the reason why we didn't is we decided to go in a different direction."

Rogers said he had made up his mind about his status with the Redskins long before he became a free agent.

"It was two seasons before [last season]," he said. "I was kind of ready to get out of there with the changing of coaches. Once you've made it big and you know coaches, things just start to look different. I was just ready to go."

Rogers said he has good memories about his time with the Redskins.

"I had some fun times with Washington," Rogers said. "I had a lot of good relationships with guys on and off the field. There's a lot that I remember and a lot of good things that I can take from that team. The fans are unbelievable They want to win."

While Rogers may be downplaying his homecoming, he definitely wants to get a win against his former teammates.

"I just want to go out there and have fun, play against my friends and [win] for bragging rights against them," he said.