Wes Welker On Returning to New England Patriots: ‘I’ve Never Ruled That Out’

Free-agent wide receiver Wes Welker checked in for an interview with Boston’s WEEI on June 2 to talk about DeflateGate and a possible return to the New England Patriots.

Wes Welker hasn’t ruled out a return to the New England Patriots. 

This was what Welker declared during an interview in “Middays with MFB” on Boston’s WEEI 93.7 FM on June 2. He also said all is well between him and New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick:

“I think there are a handful of teams that are definitely an option. If the right situation comes up and everything kind of pieces together then I’ll definitely play again…I don’t think there’s any hard feelings (with Bill Belichick). Definitely not from my side and I don’t think from his, either. I’ve never ruled that out.”

Former Patriots WR Wes Welker on MFB: I’ve never ruled out return to New England http://t.co/bHc2PNuyCP— WEEI (@WEEI) June 2, 2015

On the DeflateGate issue, Welker said he didn’t notice any differences in the balls quarterback Tom Brady threw his way during his six seasons in New England, per WEEI.com:

“It’s like, ‘Oh, Tom (Brady) did it? Yeah, it’s definitely a big deal. I never really noticed a difference in the balls. I think it is (a big deal) because it’s him. Other teams are kind of like, ‘I knew he was doing something.’ I don’t know how big of a deal it is.

“I guess that’s one statistic you kind of look at that you’re kind of like, ‘Okay, maybe that helped?’ Everybody practices good ball security. It’s not like Bill reinvented the wheel on that one. He obviously emphasizes it a lot and does a great job with it, but every team does.”

When asked if there’s a difference in the balls Brady and Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (whom he played with for two seasons) use, Welker told WEEI.com he doesn’t pay attention to a ball’s PSI (pounds-per-square-inch) reading:

Wes Welker isn’t ready to call it a career…

And he’d welcome a reunion with a former team: http://t.co/ZA2qfCiCEC pic.twitter.com/zNbIrLuMr5— NFL (@nfl) June 3, 2015

“I wasn’t comparing the two. Any ball you catch or run with, you don’t really pay attention to PSI on a ball…I don’t think he was (any more concerned with the measure of the balls than Tom Brady). I didn’t really pay attention to both of them.

“I knew Tom was particular about his balls. I think every quarterback is, but I never really paid attention to Peyton and how he lives with them.”

When Welker signed a two-year, $12 million deal to play for the Broncos two years ago, he told Sports Illustrated’s Chris Ballard (via The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin) one of the reasons he left the Patriots in 2013 was because of the way Belichick chided him in front of his teammates:

“It was just kind of hard,” Welker told Ballard in 2013. “One of those deals where you have to endure him, put up with him…But he does it to everybody, it’s the way he is.”

After a messy split in 2012, is Wes Welker willing to give the Patriots another chance? http://t.co/hsGhFH1LOO pic.twitter.com/2jXhMRs2Pk— ESPN (@espn) June 2, 2015

Two years later, he told WEEI.com there no more hard feelings between him and Belichick. Plus, he’s happy for the Patriots winning Super Bowl XLIX last February:

“Maybe at first (I was angry). New England was here, Denver was here, and it was like, ‘Can we meet somewhere in the middle? It was basically like, ‘We’ve already moved on…It kind of shocked me a little bit.

“I was thinking, ‘We’re right here. We’re not that far apart.’ Then it was final and done…It was really good in a way to because it made it easy on me to be able to make that move, too. 

“No hard feelings or anything. I get it. I know how Bill works and the Patriots in general. It’s really a big reason why they’ve been successful for a lot of years — (because) of being able to do that, where a lot of teams can hold on for too long. 

Wes Welker is no lock to make an NFL roster in 2015. But these 3 teams could consider bringing him to camp: http://t.co/04a0vbm9BE— ESPN Insider (@ESPNInsider) June 3, 2015

“(Belichick) has done a great job with it, obviously, they won a Super Bowl. You can’t really be that upset.”

Welker also revealed to WEEI he has been working out in Florida to stay in shape. His wife is currently pregnant with twins. Since he has not signed a contract with any team, he and his wife went to the Bahamas and Cabo San Lucas for a vacation. 

Welker said he will return to Florida to resume training this week since his wife can’t travel anymore, per WEEI.

The 34-year-old Welker has caught for 9,822 yards and 50 touchdowns on 890 receptions in 166 career regular-season games for the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots and Denver Broncos, per ESPN stats. 

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