Rex Ryan Says He’s ‘Glad’ Wes Welker Left Patriots, Admits He ‘Kinda’ ‘Hated’ Him

Rex Ryan’s defensive schemes — and his feet — can rest easy now that Wes Welker is out of the AFC East.

Ryan talked for the first time Tuesday about Welker signing with the Denver Broncos rather than returning to the rival Patriots, and he made it clear how he feels about a player who has shredded the Jets’ defense a few times.

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Welker also famously made fun of Ryan’s personal life with some not-so-veiled comments a couple of years ago, although he later apologized.

Chris Wesseling of NFL.com noted that Ryan and Welker have a cordial past.

“Actually, I’m a huge fan of Wes Welker,” Ryan added. “He had historical success. That’s some big shoes for [Danny Amendola] to fill.”

No pun intended, for sure.

Click here to see the Top 10 moments of Welker’s career>>